Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was not originally intended to be a topic for this blog. It was simply a layover on our way to Norway, the official start to our big summer trip. I expected to write about the sustainability efforts I observed as we made our way through Scandinavia. But really had no idea that Schiphol would end up wowing me!

We arrived after a 10.5 hour flight from LAX. That’s 5,579 miles by the way. Though we arrived in the early afternoon local time, it felt like 3am to us. We’d have a few hours on land, and then would be back on a plane for a shortish flight to Bergen, Norway. Really, my only goal in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was to survive with two kids until we could get to our hotel and sleep in a real bed.

I had read that Schiphol had an awesome children’s playroom, so as soon as we deplaned, my focus was finding said playroom. I asked both a KLM gate agent and a staffer at the airport information desk. Neither knew what I was talking about. Could it be a language barrier issue? Doubtful since they both spoke fantastic English, like pretty much everyone we encountered on the rest of our trip.

Instead, they both said there was some kind of indoor forest on the second floor that the kids could run around in? I was disappointed, but intrigued at the same time. So we made our way through the terminal and up to the second floor.

 

And this is what we saw:

 

A relaxing indoor green space with beach-style loungers and massage chairs.

 

 

Indoor planters (the trees are fake, but the potted plants are real!), wooden ceilings and floors, and lots of natural light. There was also a “flower” stand that actually sold snack-type items and souvenirs. I will always regret not buying the hokey little wooden shoes that were also pencil sharpeners there. Our journey was just starting and our luggage space was limited, so I held off on buying any mementos here. But in retrospect, it was a cute, eco-friendly purchase that we would’ve gotten good use out of. Oh well.

 

 

There was free wifi throughout the airport. This area featured computers you could use for free. I loved that the table was made from wood and this tree, fake though it was, served as its focal point. By the way, I suspect that this park-like zone is where the children’s playroom used to be and got repurposed as a multi-use area for all ages. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know in the comments!

 

 

My kids loved this little charging station. You had to pedal to generate power to charge up your electronic device. After 10+ hours mostly sitting in an airplane, our legs could use the exercise! Unfortunately, theirs were too short to reach the pedals, so I ended up doing the biking until they lost interest in the novelty.

 

 

We actually spent a lot of time sitting on these carpet-covered logs. They were right outside the  bathroom, so we initially set up camp here (no pun intended!) for a bit while we got freshened up and dad went foraging for snacks.

 

 

But then, we realized that basically right in front of us was a beautiful outdoor oasis in the midst of the airport! If you look closely in the photo below, you can see that there are telescopes at the far end of the garden. The kids loved looking through them and trying to spot our next plane on the tarmac.

 

 

Usually, if you’d like to get some fresh air at an airport, you have to go out past baggage claim. That means coming back in through security, and if you’re not technically supposed to be visiting that country, could cause some stern questioning by the local TSA.

Here in Schiphol however, all you needed to do was go through a revolving door, up a few steps, and you were outside in the fresh air and sunshine!

That revolving door, by the way, helped to generate green energy with every spin.

 

 

When we stepped off the plane, it felt like 3am in the morning. But when we stepped out into the sunshine, it felt like day time. As I wrote in my tweet below, natural sunlight is a great way to off-set jet lag. You could almost hear our circadian rhythms resetting as we sat amongst the greenery and watched the planes on the runway.

Spent our layover in Amsterdam at this outdoor garden at @Schiphol, one of the most eco-friendly airports I’ve ever seen! Natural sunlight is a great way to offset jet lag and the kids loved being outside after 10+hours in an airplane 💚🌎✈️#travelblogger pic.twitter.com/nmrDqRoGl5

— Eco Friendly Mama (@EcoFriendlyMa) July 4, 2018

At this point, we realized it was lunchtime and we were in fact hungry. My husband picked out an assortment of sandwiches from the Park Cafe around the corner from the oasis. But the real highlight, were these potato chips by 3 Dutch Farmers.

 

 

The caption reads:

“Cooked from potatoes grown at our own farm. Next to cloggs and tulips you’ve just discovered Holland’s best kept secret.”

I mean, how can you not love them just based on that! Not only were they super fresh and crispy, but they were also an eco-friendly choice. The back of the bag read:

“By purchasing this product you contribute to the preservation of the natural landscape “The Hoeksche Waard.” We have committed ourselves to improve the environment for the benefit of wildlife and the countryside.”

 

 

I could’ve stayed in this green garden chair eating potato chips for the rest of the day. Sitting in a natural setting, eating good quality food, with my kids happily playing nearby. This was better than any Business or First Class lounge I’ve ever had the luxury of experiencing. In fact, I’m pretty sure this was the most relaxed I’ve ever been in an airport!

 

 

At this point in our trip, I wasn’t yet in “blogger” mode, so I wasn’t thinking about getting pictures of everything to put into a post here. Like I mentioned at the beginning, I hadn’t planned to even write about our layover in Amsterdam. It just slowly dawned on me as we discovered more and more green features that this airport just might be the most eco-friendly one I’ve ever traveled through. So I didn’t get pictures of every single eco-conscious product. But here are some that I did:

Compostable bamboo plates in the Park Cafe. They also had compostable cutlery! You could eat a hot (or cold) meal without creating any plastic waste.

 

 

Organic raisin rolls, just one of the many organic/local/un-processed food items they had for sale there.

 

 

Shoutout to the napkins! (Now there’s a phrase I never thought I’d write LOL). In addition to being made from 100% recycled fibers and unbleached, they also had a cute little drawing of the airport on them. I see you Schiphol napkins. I see you.

 

 

When it was time for us to board our plane to Bergen, my kids didn’t want to leave the oasis to go inside. We were all a little reluctant to be leaving. I honestly can’t say I’ve ever felt that way about an airport layover before! We were excited to get to Norway though, and little did we know that Schiphol was just our first taste of the supremely eco-minded Scandinavian culture we’d soon be experiencing on our travels.

As we headed towards our gate, I continued to notice little eco-friendly details along the way. This moving walkway corridor had the potential to feel a bit dreary and cold. Instead, it was filled with sunlight thanks to walls of glass, and had lovely plants along the way to give it a more natural feeling.

 

 

The trash bins included clearly-marked plastic and paper recycling sections. I thought the caption on this one was pretty cheeky LOL. I see you too, trash bin.

 

 

It wasn’t until we got home and I sat down to write this post that I realized the full extent of this airport’s sustainability efforts! From their website:

“We pursue active policies to reduce emissions for the sake of a sustainable future. We are continually investing in the sustainability of our own business operations and stimulate our partners to do the same. The ultimate result is a positive impact on your surroundings.”

Here are just some of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s MANY green features which are honestly too many to list:

Airport runs on 100% dutch wind power, a 100% renewable energy resource

CO2-Neutral Airport and ACI ACA 3+ accredited (the highest neutrality status)

Sustainably-sourced paint from bird-repellant flax

5 cents from every sale of Amsterdam’s Marie-Stella-Maris bottled water is donated to clean drinking water projects

The Fair Trade Cafe in Terminal B sells entirely fair trade products

Sustainable climate control through thermal energy storage

Circular-designed energy-efficient baggage conveyor belt system

 

Another way to recharge the spirit and soul is through art. Schiphol had lots of this too, which I regret not taking enough photos of. The one that really stood out though, was this giant light installation which we passed right before we reached our gate.

 

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Spotted this giant sign in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol while waiting for our connection to Norway and it seemed so fitting! . This airport is super modern with a strong sustainability focus like eco-friendly building materials and compostable cutlery. I’m feeling inspired to write a post just about Schiphol 🤔 . Wish I didn’t have to “go on” so soon as I would’ve loved to see Amsterdam again…but Norway awaits! . . . #travelingwithkids #tinyglobetrotters #blogwithheart #wanderlust #airportspotting #momblog #mommyblog #mommyblogger #mommyblog #streetart #sogoon #schiphol #airportart #tinyglobetrotter #ecomom #newbieswhoblog #newblogger #travelblogger #traveltuesday

A post shared by Hilary Feldstein Ratner (@ecofriendlymama) on Jun 27, 2018 at 8:06am PDT

 

As I wrote in my Instagram post, I wish we didn’t have to “go on” so soon…but Norway awaits!

And by the way, if you’re unable to travel through Schiphol or on an airline that is actively working to reduce their CO2 emissions, check out this post from My Green Closet which has tips on other ways to carbon offset your travel!

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol should be (and I hope actually is) the model for all future airport designs. So what do you think – Do you know of a more eco-friendly airport in the world?

• Amsterdam
• Architecture
• sustainability
• sustainable architecture
• Travel