It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of ways industry is attempting to reduce their impact on the planet. From eco boardshorts to bamboo leashes and recycled wetsuits, it looks like the surf world means business when it comes to going “green” heading into the 21st century. It would stand to reason that when Costa Rica was set as the prestigious site of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games 2009, the country’s decades of remarkable dedication to eco-tourism and preserving the natural environment couldn’t be overlooked. In an effort to make a positive impact on the local environment and reduce the event’s carbon footprint, the 2009 ISA World Surfing Games presented by Billabong teamed up with Nature Air, who pledge to preserve roughly 47 hectares (116 acres) of Costa Rica’s invaluable tropical rainforest for generations to come.
According to Alexi Huntley, Chief Marketing Officer for Nature Air, the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Electricity known as FONAFIFO will sanction the offsets for the event by conserving tropical forests in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula region. “By assessing roughly 5800 tons of CO2 emitted from the event and travel of the staff and surfers coming to the games, Nature Air, through FONAFIFO will protect roughly 47 hectares of tropical forest.” At its core, the FONAFIFO program is centered on the concept of paying local small-to-medium-sized landowners money not to cut down their trees. Currently, deforestation is the single largest producer of Green House Gas emissions, accounting for nearly 23 percent of all Green House Gas emissions emitted annually. The FONAFIFO program has proven successful in its four-decade lifespan and since 1970, after loosing roughly 70 percent of Costa Rica’s forest cover, the country has recovered nearly 30 percent with stats showing a significant percentage of Costa Rica currently blanketed with primary and secondary forests.
“Nature Air is considered the world’s first carbon neutral airline and moreover, they’ve been successfully operating [an airline] with an environmentally responsibly business model for nearly 6 years which is as unique as it is impressive”, said Billabong’s Chris Evans. “As the premier regional airline partner for the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games 2009, Nature Air offered their local CO2 offset expertise with FONAFIFO’s preservation program and it was a natural fit. Ultimately this is a win for Costa Rica’s tropical forests, a win for the 2009 ISA World Surfing Games and a win for Nature Air.”
For more information, go to NaureAir.com. http://www.fonafifo.com/