The airport at Punta Islita on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast is little more than a paved slice out of the arid jungle.  Hammocks swing from palm trees and a thatched roof shelter offers a semblance of hospitality.
 
 That’s sufficient and in keeping with the philosophy of Nature Air, an innovative and forward thinking company doing business in one of the most delicate and vital regions of the world.
 
 Nature Air is a product of its environment – the world’s first certified carbon neutral airline operating with financial success and minimal impact on the planet.   

 This unusual airline reaches 17 destinations, primarily within Costa Rica, via 74 flights a day, carrying more than 1.2 million passengers on business and pleasure throughout the Mesoamerica isthmus, in one of the healthiest, cleanest, most vital spots of a world under siege from its occupants.
 
 The company is making money and is caring for the planet – two concepts that do not necessarily always go hand in hand.
 
Founded in 1993 with the formidable goal of motivating others in the tourism industry to take action based on this company’s example of profitability and corporate social responsibility, Nature Air is meeting its goal.

 Each year, the airline produces about 4645 tons of carbon dioxide, but through a number of conservation efforts throughout the company, it offsets 5800 tons of carbon dioxide.  About 46 square hectares/113 acres, or the equivalent of 325 football fields, has been reforested in the Osa Peninsula, a part of the country so rich in biodiversity that it has been nicknamed “the lungs of the world” for the amount of oxygen in returns to the environment.
   
Costa Rica is the birthplace of sustainable tourism.  The Sustainable Tourism Certification Program, a government initiative, grades various tourism entities on four standards. These include the business’s impact on the natural habitat, management policies, opportunities for travelers to become involved, and socio-economic environment.
    
A huge challenge for NatureAir to overcome has been educating its passengers.  In order to fund its reforestation and other initiatives while maintaining profitability, Nature Air’s ticket prices are a little higher than other regional airlines.  For example:  the Nature Air flight from San Jose to Punta Islita for one adult is $93 US.  Similar flights on other regional carriers are about 15 percent less.  That locals receive a 30 percent discount is an example of Nature Air’s impact and/or support of the local socio-economic environment.
 But by educating passengers via its inflight magazine “Landings” and at trade and consumer travel shows, the company has found a number of travelers willing to pay the additional costs in order to preserve this beautiful part of the world.
 
   
Educating employees is equally important.  Not only is recycling paper, plastics and other materials mandatory in the workplace, the company offers incentives for employees to do the same at home.  More energy efficient light bulbs and water saving toilets are standard.
   
NatureKids, a school funded by the company in Drake Bay, includes extensive environmental education in its curriculum while improving the overall socio-economics of the region.  The inflight magazine “Landings” lists items that the school needs to improve its curriculum and invites its readers to volunteer with computer and English courses.  In addition to donations being accepted at the Nature Air headquarters, the company works with Travelers Philanthropy to accept tax deductible donations for the program.  

Another factor sited in Nature Air’s carbon neutral initiative is the development of Aerotica, Costa Rica’s first alternative aviation fueling company.  Nature Air fuels all of its ground vehicles with this product and offers incentives for employees to recycle used cooking and vegetable oils from home at this facility, the only one in San Jose.
 
 The company has developed a network of support from local restaurants that also contribute used cooking oils for alternative fuels.  It’s estimated this biodegradable fuel source will reduce roughly 160 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
 
The workhorse of the Nature Air fleet is the 19-passenger De-Haviland Otter with Pratt & Whitney twin engines. Four bladed propellers, as opposed to standard three-bladed propellers, minimize noise emissions.  Through extensive flight crew training, fuels emissions are minimized.  These adjustments have improved fuel efficiency by about seven percent in the last three years.  The goal is to improve that efficiency by another four or five percent by the end of 2010.

 Nature Air also flies 7-passenger twin engine King Air by Beechcraft.   By coordinating its flight plan with local taxi companies, Nature Air has reduced the time in which taxi cabs are waiting, often idling their engines, to pick up passengers.
 
 As a result of Nature Air’s initiative, two rental car companies based in San Jose, Mapache Rent-a-Car and Hola Rent-a-Car, have also created carbon neutral initiatives that include using alternative fuels and reforestation funding.

Certification for Nature Air comes from Fona Fifo, a government forestation financing organization, that works closely with the Sustainable Tourism Certification program.
 Additional recognition comes from the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit organization that promotes global conservation by balancing ecological, economic and social considerations.
 
Finally, a portion of Nature Air’s profits are directed to research programs on animal migration, park rangers and similar initiatives.

The awards bestowed upon the company as a result of these efforts are too numerous to list, but the greatest reward comes from the song of a scarlet McCaw, the bloom of another hibiscus and the laughter of children playing and learning in a world renewed by its occupants.

By Diana Lambdin Meyer
Photos by Bruce N. Meyer