Undated photo showing San Diego International Airport in America's Finest City.

Today marks the San Diego International Airport’s 83^rd anniversary.  In honor of the occasion, here are some interesting facts:

• The airport was dedicated on August 16, 1928, as Lindbergh Field, to honor famed aviator Charles Lindbergh.
• Another famous aviator, Amelia Earhart, participated in the grand dedication ceremony.
• San Diego’s then-mayor declared the Dedication Day a public holiday and urged businesses to close midday to witness the celebration.
• 222 military planes soared over Lindbergh Field as part of the festivities.

Interested in more SDIA history?  Check out this historic timeline on our web page.

The Green Build is well under way at San Diego International Airport!  I snapped this picture today that shows the construction site – and you can tell that the terminal expansion is certainly coming along. So exciting! Did you know that, in all, 5,000 tons of steel will go up to provide the structural framework for the terminal expansion?

And all the steel used in the construction comes from the United States, in support of the national economy. It starts out in the Midwest and is shaped in Arizona before coming to us in San Diego. It’s great to see The Green Build generating jobs for the regional economy … as well as pumping up an important national industry!

He’s the mastermind behind the beautiful plants and garden creations around so many of our cubicles.

He’s a poet of verse and song.

He’s a musician.  (Check out Little People Revolution!)

He’s the Airport Authority’s  one and only … our very own … Jerry!

Jerry is a member of the Airport Authority’s Facilities Management Department and has worked at San Diego International Airport for more than 30 years. (Wow – that was before Terminal 2 was even open!)

Check out these photos of some of the creative plantscapes designed by Jerry that grace the office spaces of Airport Authority employees. What an artist! And this is just a small sampling of his handiwork.

Jerry the 'Plant Whisperer' and me!

Bonsai trees, ferns, flowers, shrubs, gardens, vegetables … you name it – Jerry can grow it. He has an exceptionally green thumb. Then he transforms it into portable art. It’s quite amazing!  (Let’s just say, my thumb is not any shade of green.) I’ve given Jerry the nickname – “The Plant Whisperer.”

Not only full of talent and creativity, Jerry is also a very generous individual. He’s donated his expertise, time and resources to numerous Airport Authority United Way fundraisers over the years.

Here at the Airport Authority, it’s a treat to work with a diverse array of skilled individuals – both professionally and personally. On behalf of anyone who’s received a Jerry creation, listened to his music or eaten one of his homegrown vegetables, I’d like to say “thank you” for sharing your talents with us.

Signing off, I’ll leave you with one of Jerry’s favorite sayings:

“You be cool.”

The Big Belly solar-powered trash compactor ... curbside in front of Terminal One at San Diego International Airport.

It’s April again and you know what that means….Earth Month!  It’s time to celebrate what we do here at the airport to be environmentally friendly – and to give some thought to what else we can do.

And guess what?  For the seventh time in the last eight years, the Airport Authority has been awarded a Recycler of the Year award from the City of San Diego.  Here are some of the things we’re doing that helped us earn the award for the fourth year in a row:

• In 2009, the Airport Authority acquired the Big Belly Solar-Powered Trash and Recycling Compactor that uses renewable energy to turn public spaces into clean, eco-friendly zones.

• In July of 2009, the Airport Authority partnered with HMS Host and the City of San Diego Environmental Services Department in an effort to recycle coffee grounds from airport concessions, including Starbucks and McDonald’s. The coffee grounds are transported to the City of San Diego’s Miramar Greenery.  During the first six months of the program, we recycled over 35,000 pounds of coffee grounds!

• The Quarterly E-waste Collection Events held by our Environmental Affairs Department have seen lots of success.  During 2009, approximately 15,500 pounds of e-waste was collected!

Sunday, April 18 is when San Diego celebrates the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day with Earth Fair in Balboa Park, the largest Earth Day celebration in the nation. Earth Day itself falls on Thursday, April 22.

But it’s the simple gestures, repeated every day by all of us, that make a significant impact collectively.  Together, we contribute to preserving the planet and its riches for future generations!

Many thanks to Mayra in Environmental Affairs for her help with this post and her continued commitment to the environment.

San Diego International Airport ... at BizTown!

Can kids run the airport?  At BizTown, they do! San Diego International Airport (SAN) has constructed an airport “storefront” in Junior Achievement‘s BizTown. What’s BizTown, you ask?

'Airport Explorers' Airlines at BizTown.

Junior Achievement’s BizTown allows kids to put to use the business skills they learn in school in a live environment. More than 100 students come through daily to run tiny storefronts sponsored by community businesses. The kids work, receive paychecks, open bank accounts and stimulate the BizTown economy. As they act out their jobs and roles in the BizTown community, they learn financial and business knowledge based on real-life situations.

I recently had a chance to visit. And it’s really cool!

Students who work at BizTown SAN sell flights for an aerial tour of San Diego in a fuselage simulator. Along with my Authority colleagues Jeff and Rachel, we took the flight on Airport Explorers Airlines. The students collected our money, sold us our tickets and escorted us through security and into the plane. Animated pilots took us on a flight over San Diego’s majestic views.  The seats even vibrated during takeoff and landing!

Airport Authority employees Jeff from Human Resources and Rachel from Risk Management go for a ride on 'Airport Explorers' Airlines at BizTown.

One particular student was bubbling with excitement about working at BizTown SAN that day. He definitely wants to work at the airport “when he grows up.” He was beside himself to actually meet some airport employees (I felt a little bit like a rock star!). I asked him if he knew what job he’d like to have at the airport someday. He said, “Yes!  I want to be a station manager for American Airlines. I LOVE American Airlines!” How awesome is that?

Airport Authority employees, from left, Jay and Marie in Landside Operations and Jeff in Human Resources check out BizTown.

The Airport Authority’s partnership with Junior Achievement BizTown has allowed thousands of local children to learn more about the airport and airport-related jobs.

It’s been a very successful part of our aviation education program. I highly recommend visiting or volunteering at BizTown if you ever get the chance!

And kudos to the Authority employees that helped to build BizTown SAN — it’s fantastic!

Even SeaWorld is at BizTown ... here I am (left) with Rachel from Risk Management.

The Airport Authority’s first-ever employee cookbook is on sale, with proceeds supporting the Authority’s United Way campaign.  Titled SAN Can Cook!, the book features over 125 recipes from more than 50 contributors.  Here’s a mouthwatering sampling:

• Home Coffee Bean Roasting
• Apricot Chipotle Spread
• Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
• Green Chili Cheese Tamales
• Pasta Sauce Fabulosa
• Butter Crunch
• Mum’s Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

Are you hungry yet?  There’s something for everyone in this cookbook:  recipes that have been passed down for generations,  personally invented dishes, and super quick and easy offerings.  Also, there are dishes from around the world that celebrate the Airport Authority’s employee diversity – Mexican, Indian, Italian, Filipino and more.

The cookbook even includes recipes generously shared by celebrity chef Martin Yan, of Yan Can Cook. Have you checked out his restaurant, YAN CAN Asian Bistro & Bar, in Terminal 1 here at San Diego  International Airport?  Good eats!

Cookbooks are $12 each. To order yours, just visit the Airport Authority’s Intranet site (if you’re an Airport Authority employee). If you’re not an Airport Authority employee, just email sancook@san.org, and someone will get back to you to complete your oder.

Knowing what to do in the event of an earthquake can calm the nerves and improve the outcome. So, earthquake preparedness has been added to the list of multiple ongoing safety initiatives here at the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

At 10:15 a.m. on October 15, we will be participating in The Great California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill in history. There are more than six million people signed up to participate! The drill will help us practice how to protect ourselves during an earthquake and also emphasize the importance of being prepared — both at work and at home.

This marks the second year of the program and the second year of the Airport Authority’s participation. Last November, we joined nearly 5.5 million people in The Great Southern California ShakeOut drill. Because it was so successful, the decision was made to hold the drill statewide on the third Thursday of October every year.

Everyone can participate! Go to the ShakeOut website and register today.

So, what are you supposed to do when an earthquake strikes? According to the Earthquake Country Alliance, you should “Drop, Cover and Hold On.” You can click here for more tips on how to prepare, protect and recover in the event of an earthquake.

Here's where the Urban Trees are to be found.

There’s a dedication event this Saturday for the 30 new Urban Trees along North Harbor Drive. Stop by and congratulate San Diego International Airport employee Rachel and her husband Shawn on their masterpiece, “Office Arbor.”

• Saturday, September 12, 2009
  • 10 a.m. Ceremony — at the east end of the Cruise Ship Terminal (1140 N. Harbor Dr.)
  • 10:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Self-guided walking tours

Urban Tree artists will be on hand to answer questions about their creations.

Don’t forget: Rachel’s tree is located between Grape and Hawthorne streets. If you snap a picture of the tree, send it my way and maybe we’ll feature it on the Ambassablog!

It’s finished!

Here is an update on the Urban Tree created by Airport Authority employee Rachel M., as promised in my last post, A star among us: Urban Tree artist.

Check out these photos of the 3-D scale model Rachel built as her winning submission.  The full-scale tree has just been completed and was installed yesterday off Harbor Drive near the foot of Grape Street on the Embarcadero at the shore of San Diego Bay.  Many people pass this spot on their way to or from the airport.

The tree is constructed out of steel, redwood, Plexiglas and a natural tree branch.  It stands 14 feet tall and four feet wide.  It is titled “Office Arbor.”  Here is Rachel’s own description of her piece:

Those who work and live in city centers are themselves Urban Trees. We spend time in restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, apartments, office buildings and high-rise condos. This work reminds all urban inhabitants that if we don’t slow down and step out of these glass boxes, our whole lives may be spent only looking through windows.

Stay tuned for pictures of the tree in its new “urban” setting on Harbor Drive!

Laverne & Shirley — those happy-go-lucky ladies from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who entertained generations of Americans on TV in the 1970s and 1980s — were recently spotted at San Diego International Airport! Well, sort of.  The video above is a madcap spoof of the opening sequence of the original Laverne & Shirley TV show. It stars the Ambassabloggers themselves and a few other SDIA employees in supporting roles.  Watch it all the way to the end for a cool tip on how to get to Milwaukee — and lots of other places — from SDIA.  Oh, in case your memory of the original Laverne & Shirley opener is a little fuzzy (we’re talking more than 25 years ago, after all),  here it is for purposes of comparison to the above spoof:

Home Treat Alert! The multimedia features above may not be accessible at work.  But you can log on at home and check them out there!