Did you ever play SimCity for the Super Nintendo or PC growing up? Not The Sims, the simulation game where a player basically creates a suburban version of his or herself, but rather the old school game rooted in city planning and map making. 

Do you remember the anxiety felt when building an airport in your simulated town because, yes the residents are demanding it but it’s going to create so much pollution! How did you fight pollution? Did you place the airport on an island, far away from residential areas but connected to the main land via rail? Did you surround it with park land trying to combat pollution with the power of trees? Did any of that even work to reduce pollution? Furthermore SimCity was just a game; you could always destroy your town and start all over.  That isn’t an option in real life when city planners look at their communities and airports.

Last year Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport began testing their PHX Sky Train™ with a single model. They hope when fully operable the system will eliminate an estimated 20,000 vehicles at the airport daily. This new mode of airport transportation will not only reduce vehicle emissions -stage one will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5,913 tons a year- but will also ease airport traffic curbside. Sky Harbor will begin by transporting employees and visitors and eventually provide service from the rental car center to the airport.  Construction will be finished in 2013 and all phases complete with the train fully-operable by 2020-if not earlier. 

Today the airport dedicated their latest green project, a 5.4-megawatt high efficiency SunPower solar power system. The system of solar panels on three rooftops at the airport and will generate the equivalent of 51 percent of the electricity used at the rental car center, two parking garages, and toll plaza.

San Jose, California based SunPower Corp installed their E20 model of panels at the end of last year and it only took two months.  A statement called the model the “most efficient solar panels on the market today.” The company will continue to operate and maintain the system. The EPA’s estimates the system will “offset the production of more than 5500 tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is equivalent to removing 19,800 cars from Arizona's roads over the next 20 years.”

"With this SunPower system, Sky Harbor Airport is reinforcing its commitment to energy conservation and improving air quality in Arizona, while saving airport funds," said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton.