WA Skydiving Company Flies the Flag for Sustainability
West Australian skydiving company, Skydive Geronimo, has become the first skydiving operator in the country to commit to offsetting 100% of its aviation fuel carbon emissions.
Glenn Stutt, owner of Skydive Geronimo, said its 2022/2023 Climate Pledge was a major step forward in reducing the company’s global footprint and would be achieved through offsetting its Rottnest Island flight carbon emissions through a WA-based carbon neutral programme.
“We believe every business and every individual has an obligation to support the United Nations directive that in order to preserve a liveable climate, greenhouse-gas emissions must be reduced by half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050,” he said.
The move has been applauded by the Australian Parachute Foundation, with CEO Richard McCooey saying it was no surprise that Skydive Geronimo was the first operator to make a climate pledge for 2022/2023. He congratulated the company for their commitment, saying he hoped the other 50 parachute centres around Australia would follow the example set by Skydive Geronimo and the APF by becoming carbon neutral.
Stutt went on to say that since establishing the business in 2010, Skydive Geronimo has put in place many operational initiatives to continuously improve its sustainability performance, and which preserve the fragile environment in which it operates. These include minimising unnecessary consumption and reducing waste. “This new pledge to offset 100% of the carbon emissions from our Rottnest Island Tandem Skydives bolsters our established sustainability programme and will be a hugely positive step in addressing our climate change obligations.”
He said Skydive Geronimo was deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of operating a tourism business on the protected A-Class Reserve and had always been a strong and active supporter of the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA)’s Rottnest Island Management Plan. This plan includes several initiatives driving improved environmental sustainability.
“The Skydive Geronimo 2022/2023 Climate Pledge is another step in our efforts for continuous improvement in sustainability performance,’ Stutt added. “Our whole team is behind us and there’s no doubt it will add an extra dimension to our clients’ awesome skydiving experience knowing that their jump is carbon neutral!”
The Australian Parachute Federation office (excluding the operational aviation component) moved to carbon neutral last year, and on 1 July 2022, offered its 3 500 members the option to offset their skydiving-related carbon emissions for jumps made the previous year (2021/2022). Members can choose this option when renewing their annual membership.
References
https://ria.wa.gov.au/policy-and-reports/sustainability/environmental-sustainability
