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Sustainable Aviation

Our Commitment Towards Sustainable Aviation

ITPS is the first Test Pilot School to work towards sustainable aviation and become carbon neutral

To help achieve our environmental goals, we are supporting two Canadian carbon offset projects that protect important carbon stores from future destruction. Working with LivClean, a top carbon offset retailer, ITPS is supporting the Great Bear Carbon Forest Project environmental stewardship inside the traditional territories of the Haida Nation in British Columbia, Canada, home to the largest remaining intact coastal temperate rainforest in the world. The second project is the Quinte Community Forest Carbon Project protecting over 25,000 acres of mixed hardwood forests on the northeast shores of Lake Ontario, in Southern Ontario Canada.

Beyond the carbon benefits, the Great Bear Forest Carbon Project protects the western red cedar, known as the “Tree of Life”, and important habitats for the Kermode bear, Black and Grizzly bears, and seacoast wolves. The project also preserves habitats for coastal and freshwater marine life. The Quinte Project protects Great Lake watershed and provides valuable habitat for hawks, eagles, waterfowl, mink, muskrat as well as providing recreation benefits for local residents and visitors.

By calculating the total emissions of our fleet of aircraft, we are able to purchase carbon offsets to minimize our environmental footprint. Data is calculated based on fuel purchases and aviation fuel consumption.

2023 Related Emissions

Fuel Type Consumption (L) Direct Emissions (tonnes CO2e)
Aviation Jet A or A1 364,900 1,149
AvGas 100LL 78,448 243
TOTAL 1,419

2022 Related Emissions

Fuel Type Consumption (L) Direct Emissions (tonnes CO2e)
Aviation Jet A or A1 601,203 1,894
AvGas 100LL 12,390 38
TOTAL 1,932

2021 Related Emissions

Fuel Type Consumption (L) Direct Emissions (tonnes CO2e)
Aviation Jet A or A1 566,275 1,783
AvGas 100LL 8,310 25
TOTAL 1,809

Timeline for Action

2021: First carbon offset purchase of 453 tonnes equals a 25% reduction of our carbon footprint

2022: Carbon offset purchase of 1,933 tonnes equals a 100% reduction of our carbon footprint (Carbon Neutral)

This offset purchase is equal to:

  • Taking 141,109 cars off the road for a day
  • Planting 19,330 trees and protecting them for 100 years
  • Avoiding 230 passenger flights around the world

2023: Carbon offset purchase of 1,420 tonnes equals a 100% reduction of our carbon footprint (Carbon Neutral)

This offset purchase is equal to:

  • Taking 103,611 cars off the road for a day
  • Planting 14,200 trees and protecting them for 100 years
  • Avoiding 169 passenger flights around the world

* You can find the cumulative offsets since joining the programme on our LivClean Impact Dashboard and in each of our annual Public Impact Statements.

2021 Public Impact Statement

2022 Public Impact Statement

2023 Public Impact Statement

About the Projects:

The Great Bear Forest Carbon Project, located in the traditional territories of the Haida Nation in British Columbia, Canada. This project, through converting logging forests, preserves existing carbon stocks and reduces the emissions caused by harvesting, road building and other forestry operations. The Great Bear initiative area covers more than 14 million acres in the Queen Charlotte/Haida Gwaii archipelago, home to the largest remaining intact coastal temperate rainforest and rich with old-growth forests.

In addition to the carbon benefits, The Great Bear Project contributes to:

  • Protecting Western Red Cedar trees, also known as the “Tree of Life”
  • Preserving important coastal and freshwater habitats for marine life
  • Safeguarding habitats for the Kermode, Black and Grizzly bears and Seacoast Wolves

ITPS offset purchases are tracked on the BC Forest Carbon Offset Third Party Carbon Reduction Registry.

The Quinte Community Forest Carbon Project, located on approximately 25,000 acres of mixed hardwood forests on the northeast shores on Lake Ontario, in Southern Ontario, Canada. As forested land in Southern Ontario continues to be lost to development, Quinte Conservation’s commitment to managing the forest sustainably for the long-term provides important benefits to the health of the watersheds and a legacy for area residents.

In addition to the carbon benefits, Quinte Project contributes to:

  • Protects Great Lakes watershed by supporting the ecosystem health in the drainage basins of local rivers as trees serve as natural filters, purifying for downstream use.
  • Protecting valuable habitat in increasingly shrinking natural areas as home to hawks, eagles, waterfowl, mink, muskrat and more.
  • The project provides recreation benefits. Carbon revenue is helping to protect community values and resources for the future generations.

ITPS offset purchases of the Quinte Forest Project are tracked on the ACR third-party Carbon Offset Registry.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

ITPS encourages employees, students and vendors to make a positive impact on climate change through:

  • Moving towards reusable kitchenware and installing water stations to minimize single-use plastics
  • Promoting waste recycling with recycling bins at the school and hangars
  • “Go Paperless” initiative to reduce printed documents using secure scan and save practices
  • Implementing QR codes at events to reduce printed marketing materials
  • Using recycled and sustainable forest material in office products
  • Changing to LED lighting

LivClean Carbon Offset Logo

LivClean is a top-ranked carbon offset retailer in the David Suzuki and Pembina Institute’s worldwide ranking.

  • Forest in British Columbia, Canada
  • Grizzly bear protected with carbon offset.
  • Small plant in woods protected by hands
  • Haida Nation in British Columbia cloudy mountains and trees