Christchurch International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has become the first airport company in the southern hemisphere to achieve carbon neutral certification.
Landcare Research presented CIAL with the certification last week, after assessing the airport company's carbon emissions through its CarboNZeroCertTM programme.That sounds brilliant, but what the heck does it actually mean?
'Carbon neutral' is the buzz term of our generation. It was the 2006 Word of the Year*, and returns over one million results in Google. In this age of Al Gore and eco footprints, being carbon neutral can certainly earn a lot of brownie points.
The premise behind the term is basically that an individual, or in this case, an organisation, has measured the amount of greenhouse gases they are emitting via the burning of fossil fuels. This amount is then reduced where possible and the remainder is balanced or 'offset' by investing in 'carbon credits': sustainable actions or projects that will reverse or minimise the adverse environmental effects of one's gas emissions.
Think of your life like a balance sheet. On the left side you record the amount of greenhouse gas you have released into the air through the burning of fossil fuels - so, things like motorised vehicle travel and electricity consumption. On the right you record the actions you have taken to counterbalance the negative effects of these gas emissions - like trees you have planted or the solar panels you installed.
Christchurch airport got its sheet to balance. But, according to CIAL Chief Executive Rene Bakx, this procedure followed "a reasonably detailed process of measurement and analysis".
"The Landcare Research CarboNZero programme applies international best practice to the annual certification process of measuring, managing and mitigating CIAL's greenhouse gas emissions. The process involves measuring and setting the bench line of where we are now. And from there what we will be looking at every year is managing, reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions arising from our operational business activities."The airport's 'operational business activities' do not include the comings and goings of aircraft or private road vehicles. They do, however, include all CIAL corporate operations (think office power consumption), airfield and infrastructure maintenance and terminal building operations.
"For those emissions that CIAL cannot reduce - and I'll use the simple example of our rescue and fire safety team as there are certain requirements that we have to have...to remain certified as an airport - we are investing in a government approved carbon credit programme, within New Zealand," said Mr Bakx.
Whilst CIAL's intentions may be as pure as emission-free air, one can't deny that in 2008, a carbon-neutral airport company is a marketing dream come true. Especially for the likes of Prime Minister Helen Clark who, whilst envisaging New Zealand as the world's first carbon neutral nation, cannot ignore the fact that tourism generates 10% of the country's GDP.
"The high value visitors we seek to attract are increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint. For many of them we are a long haul destination," she said.
"We don't want to be ruled out of consideration as a destination because it is seen as unsustainable to be here at all. New Zealand as a country, and tourism as an industry, must go the extra mile to prove sustainability credentials."
Mr Bakx adds, "Research has shown that the carbon footprint issue is becoming a decisive factor for tourists in planning their overseas holiday.
"It is our intention that this will assist tourists in their decision-making when considering New Zealand as their next holiday destination, while at the same time contributing to our goal of running a sustainable airport company."
Tourism Minister Damien O'Connor points out that international tourism is becoming increasingly competitive in the environmental scheme of things and New Zealand, which has branded itself as '100% Pure', will have to continually prove to the world that it is "truly focused on environmental sustainability"."I'm sure that as New Zealand moves ahead and more key organisations embrace carbon neutrality, we will be in a better position to market internationally that New Zealand is a sustainable nation," he said.
A number of 'key organisations' have already achieved carbon neutral certification. Intercity Group NZ, which owns Newmans and Intercity Coachlines, recently attained CarboNZero certification for its corporate operations and is aiming to achieve the same for its entire transport operation by 2010. In addition, the country's largest electricity supplier, Meridian Energy, achieved carbon neutral status in early 2007, and a range of food and beverage producers such as Antipodes, Attitude Foods and Quakebake are all certified carbon neutral too.
What this amounts to is that "international visitors are able to use environmentally sustainable operators as soon as they arrive in the country", says Sarah Berry, spokeswoman for the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand (TIA), which incidentally has had a number of its large tourism industry events certified carbon neutral.
"We encourage all tourism operators to take practical steps to minimise, manage and mitigate their carbon emissions."
The concept of an airport company going carbon neutral is guaranteed to provoke cries of 'jumping on the bandwagon', but the fact of the matter is, Christchurch International Airport has shown that carbon neutrality can be achieved, not only by an individual, but by a major infrastructural organisation with 200 employees.
Christchurch City Mayor Bob Parker concurs, "The people of Christchurch own 75% of this venture and we're very proud of what Rene and CIAL have achieved.
"To see one of the leading infrastructural organisations in the country to be breaking new ground globally is a proud moment for all of us.
"I think we're a progressive city and we live in pretty challenging times. This is proof that we're looking to the future once again with real optimism and we're positioning ourselves as a city of the 21st century.
As I drive the 19.2km from the airport back to my office my car emits 3.76kg of carbon dioxide**.
I'm going to plant a tree.
*As judged by the New Oxford American Dictionary
**As calculated by the CarboNZero travel and tourism calculator (www.CarboNZero.co.nz).
Amelia is Content Editor for the New Zealand travel and tourism website www.fourcorners.co.nz.
