Hartsfield-Jackson enlists sheep to control vegetation

Trees Atlanta brings 100 sheep to Airport-owned plot

ATLANTA, 2012-09-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — As part of its ongoing efforts to find green solutions to common challenges, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is bringing 100 grazing sheep to Airport-owned land on Riverdale Road.

The test program, coordinated with Trees Atlanta and funded by an anonymous donor, is designed to bring vegetation on the one-acre plot under control without the use of chemicals that can be harmful to the environment.

“We are constantly thinking of innovative ways to make the Airport more efficient, and we are eager to determine whether sheep grazing will be an effective tool to maintain the Airport’s landscape,” said Aviation General Manager Louis Miller.

The Airport owns and maintains more than 4,000 acres of land.

Trees Atlanta has found that sheep and goats can control invasive species in an eco-friendly manner.

“Trees Atlanta is pleased that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is considering a vegetation-removal method that does not require pesticides or fossil fuels,” said Greg Levine, co-executive director of Trees Atlanta. “We applaud this forward-thinking approach from a large Atlanta entity and are happy to give the sheep a vacation from their Trees Atlanta work so they can be part of the effort. The results we’ve seen from sheep grazing on acres of invasive plants in local Atlanta green spaces indicate that this pilot should be successful.”

The pilot program began Monday, September 10, and will run through the week.

###

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport, serving more than 92 million passengers annually with nonstop service to 160 U.S. destinations and nearly 70 international destinations in more than 45 countries. The Airport is a frequent recipient of awards of excellence for concessions, operations, architectural engineering and construction – including the 2011 Global and North American Airport Efficiency Excellence Award from the Air Transport Research Society (for more information, go to www.atrsworld.org). It is undergoing $6 billion-plus in capital improvements, which include a new, energy-efficient rental car center; a new, 12-gate international terminal (for more information, go to www.atlanta-airport.com/internationalterminal/; and aesthetic and functional upgrades to its concourses, people movers and parking services. For more information, go to www.atlanta-airport.com. Check out the Airport’s YouTube channel by visiting http://www.youtube.com/AtlantaHartsfield, and become a fan on Facebook.

Subscribe to Notifications