Story ID: 
Air Elite Member FBOs Become Carbon Neutral
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: World Fuel Services announced this week that 43 members of its sponsored Air Elite FBO Network achieved carbon neutrality in their operations for 2019.
Word Count: 290
World Fuel Services (WFS) announced yesterday that 43 members of its sponsored Air Elite FBO Network achieved carbon neutrality in their operations for 2019.

WFS affiliate World Kinect Energy Services analyzed the energy use and carbon emissions of the Air Elite members for the year, including Scope 1 emissions that are released directly by the company’s operations (heating buildings, powering equipment, etc.), and Scope 2 (primarily consisting of carbon released to produce the electricity the company consumed). Through Kinect, those FBOs—which span 15 countries representing North and South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia—purchased carbon offset credits equal to their footprints. 

In addition to its 16 Air Elite locations, six more Jet Aviation locations—in the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Austria, and Van Nuys, California—also made their operations carbon neutral and three of the company's other facilities—in Bozeman, Montana; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Orange County, California—have committed to earning carbon neutrality for 2021 and beyond.

WFS and Air Elite have begun the process to assess and balance the 2020 Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for members. “Sustainability is an important responsibility for our industry, and is a growing desire for our customers,” said Larry Wade, Air Elite board chair and president of member Golden Isles Aviation.

Some locations, such as Lebanon, New Hampshire-based Granite Air Center, want to go even further. “Scope 3 emissions are much more involved to calculate as you need to include every indirect emission related to the business in any way, right down to the miles driven by employees to get to and from work, for example,” said company co-owner and COO Jason Archambeault. “We hope within the next couple of years we will be able to meet that goal.”