The Port of Oakland was presented with two awards by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) this week at the annual AAPA conference. The AAPA Lighthouse Awards honor the best port programs each year. The American Association of Port Authorities is the voice of the seaport industry in the Americas, representing more than 130 public port authorities in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.
The Port of Oakland received AAPA’s Award for Overall Communications Excellence for its annual employee event - State of the Port 2023, a ‘Sneak Preview’, held Feb. 1, 2023.
“I am proud of our skilled and dedicated Port staff who produce outstanding results in both the fields of Communications and Environmental Management,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan. “Winning awards bestowed by our peers at seaports from across the U.S., Canada and Latin America is a wonderful acknowledgement of the work that we do.”
State of the Port 2023, a 'Sneak Preview', was held in a festive atmosphere at a unique location, a local movie theater. The event kicked off with the cinematically prepared 4-minute video, Building for the Next Generation, presenting the Port’s vision to grow responsibly by becoming a zero-emissions port. Each year Executive Director Wan provides an annual State of the Port address to Port business partners, tenants and community leaders. This year, the Port wanted to allow employees to hear from Director Wan about the new Port vision before it was presented to the public. Oakland, California Mayor Sheng Thao attended the event and thanked Port employees for their dedicated service.
“An award of excellence in overall communications confirms that we are on the right track for keeping our employees informed and engaged about key projects while presenting the information in a fun, transparent and meaningful way,” said Port of Oakland Director of Communications Robert Bernardo.
The Port also received the 2023 Environmental Award of Distinction for Our Path to Zero Emissions program.
“We presented our comprehensive plan for implementing innovative environmental initiatives to improve air quality and deliver a better environment for Port workers and those who live in surrounding communities,” said Port of Oakland Acting Director of Environmental Programs and Planning Colleen Liang. “The goal of this submission was to provide useful information and inspiration for other ports seeking to improve their environmental footprint.”
This submission summarized the Port’s Zero Emissions Program, outlined in the Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan, which provides a roadmap to achieve a carbon neutral port by 2040.
Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan accepted the awards at the AAPA’s annual conference Tuesday, October 24, 2023.
