Story ID: 
Boom Sustainability Summit Eyes Future Paths
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Encouraged by the success of its first sustainability summit that drew 50 leaders across the travel industry, Boom Supersonic is planning the next event.
Word Count: 334
Boom Supersonic recently brought together airlines, engine makers, and other leaders in the travel industry to discuss sustainability innovation and action. Held over two and one-half days in Lake Tahoe, the Net Good Summit drew 50 leaders from companies such as American Express, Japan Airlines, Rolls-Royce, and United Airlines to discuss the future of sustainable travel.

“We launched the Net Good Summit from a belief in the benefits of travel not just for people, but also for the planet,” said Boom president Kathy Savitt. “Sustainability is core to our business, and we understand the role cross-sectoral collaboration can play in solving the wider challenge of making travel sustainable.”

Speakers brought backgrounds in aviation, electric vehicles, clean energy, sustainable fuels, tourism boards, and sustainability nonprofits, and the event covered decarbonizing transportation, enabling technologies, sustainability governance, and responsible tourism.

Boom, which is developing an Overture supersonic airliner that will be able to run entirely on sustainable fuel, said several lessons emerged from the discussions, including the need to ensure there is a culture that stresses the importance of sustainability and that people are the key to bringing meaningful change.

Also, discussions centered on customers' desire to travel responsibly and the industry's opportunity to accelerate the adoption of clean, renewable energy.

“Sustainability is not going to be solved by just the travel industry. It's got to be a mixture of the travel industry, legislation, governance, and investors that all come together in a sensible way to try and solve the systemic problems,” said Mark Stevenson, a futurist, author, and entrepreneur who was a speaker at the summit.

Encouraged by the event, Boom has begun planning for a second summit in 2022. The summits are among a series of actions Boom is undertaking to pave its sustainable path. Last year, it signed the Amazon Climate Pledge and noted that United Airlines has committed to operate its ordered fleet of up to 50 Overture airliners at net-zero carbon.