100% carbon offset since 2019
What does this mean?
This means we have measured the greenhouse gases emitted (through Synergy Enterprises) during each hour of flight from all of our helicopters operating in all varieties of work we do (utility, tourism, wildfire, film, rescue, etc.) along with all carbon emissions from our business operations. We have mitigated these emissions from Blackcomb Helicopter operations by purchasing the equivalent amount in carbon offsets. This money then helps advance projects across Canada with Nature Conservancy Canada.
In 2018 we offset 100% of tourism flights. We then offset 100% of operations from 2019.
We choose to support local Canadian projects that require funding to protect, research, and expand on conservation and soil carbon sequestering. You can read more about individual projects below.
Learn more about going Carbon Neutral and Synergy’s process.
What is a carbon offset?
A carbon offset represents a one tonne reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These emission reductions are validated and verified by third-party auditors to ensure that they are real and would not have taken place without the funding provided by carbon offsets. To ensure transparency, offsets are listed on a registry. Each offset has a serial number associated with it and when purchased is denoted as retired on that registry.
What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is an inventory calculating all the GHGs emitted by a person or business over a specific time period. To be carbon neutral, one needs to purchase the equivalent number of offsets as the amount of GHG emissions they emit.
Beginning in 2018, we committed to offset all of our tourism flights - and then in 2019, moved to offset ALL of Blackcomb Helicopters emissions therefore neutralizing the climate impact of those flights. Our Carbon footprint is calculated yearly by an external auditor.
Who audits our carbon footprint?
Synergy Enterprises is a British Columbian corporate sustainability management firm founded on the principle that business can make a positive impact on the planet. They specialize in corporate sustainability strategies and carbon accounting for tourism, airports, manufacturing, industry associations and more.
Synergy calculates Blackcomb Helicopters’ carbon footprint to determine how many offsets must be purchased, which then go towards environmental conservation and regeneration projects.
What Projects do our offsets support?
The carbon offsets that we have purchased provide support to the following local Canadian-based projects:
Great Bear Forest Carbon Project (GBFCP) - 50%
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The GBFCP is the first carbon offset project in North America to be implemented on traditional territory with unextinguished Aboriginal rights and Title. The project increases carbon sequestration stocks through conversion to protected forests that were previously available for commercial logging. As an Old Growth Forest, this region plays an important role in capturing and storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide. The trees and soil in the Great Bear Rainforest store more carbon per hectare than any of the world’s tropical rainforests, including the Amazon. The Coastal First Nations are the project proponents and own the carbon offsets, and revenue generated from all sales goes directly to the First Nations communities. Proceeds are used to generate environmental steward jobs in the communities and support community development, youth programs and seniors' centres.
BC Greenhouse Biomass to Energy Project - 25%
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The BC Greenhouse Biomass to Energy Project achieves GHG emission reductions by switching from using natural gas, a fossil fuel, to heat greenhouses to using biomass, a less GHG-intensive fuel source. In the absence of this Project, the biomass used to offset fossil fuel combustion would instead have decomposed in a stockpile, storage, or landfill through anaerobic decomposition. By preventing the decomposition of organic wood waste in landfills, methane emissions will be avoided. Methane is a powerful GHG with a Global Warming Potential approximately 25 times that of carbon dioxide and is passively released during the anaerobic decomposition of waste biomass in landfills.
Smart Soil Carbon Project - 25%
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The Smart Soil Carbon Project is an agricultural carbon offset aggregation project that aims to enhance soil carbon sequestration by adopting conservation cropping practices - a more sustainable approach to farming. The transition from full tillage to no-tillage not only reduces fossil fuel carbon emissions but also decreases Nitrogen fertilizer emissions. This voluntary project involves over 45 growers across 299,367 acres of land in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Carbon Positivity Program
Our Carbon Positivity Program gives customers the option of purchasing carbon offsets to counter the emissions created by their activity. Blackcomb Helicopters already offsets 100% of emissions from business operations so this allows our customers to double the carbon offset contribution for their activity. This is an optional add-on available when booking.
