Green Airways

 

As I have previously discussed in my blog, the automotive industry has taken large strides to become more fuel efficient. With the amount of hybrid and electric cars trucks, and buses on the rise the automotive industry is lowering its carbon footprint by the day. However, the same cannot be said for the aviation industry. For example, last summer I traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to Madrid, Spain. This round trip alone emitted 3,385 pounds of CO₂. The aviation industry must begin to find ways of conducting business that uses less energy and cuts back on the reliance of fossil fuels. Richard Branson, CEO Virgin Atlantic Airways, recently discussed the need for the airline industry to move towards sustainability. Branson believes that a sustainable commercial alternative to jet fuel needs to be implemented in the aviation industry. In February 2008, Virgin conducted a test flight from London to Amsterdam using a fuel that mixed 80% kerosene with 20% biofuel. Using alternative fuels is just part of Virgin’s long term sustainability plan. By 2020 Virgin Atlantic has pledged to make a pledge to make a 30% carbon reduction per passenger per kilometer and to providing renewable fuels for the entire fleet of planes. To make this pledge come to fruition, over the past five years Branson has invested, through Virgin and personal expenses, in ethanol plants in the US and developing biofuel companies. Through his actions Branson is forging an admiral path to sustainability, in an industry that is lacking behind most others. Hopefully other airways will follow suit, and we will have green air travel in the coming years.