The Air Canada team got their hands dirty this month when they spent a day at Sydney’s Pocket City Farms to learn about regenerative agriculture – all part of the airline’s sustainability efforts.
Pocket City Farms is located in Sydney’s inner west – just four kilometres from the CBD – and Air Canada brought together staff from across Australia and New Zealand to learn about the nature-friendly techniques it uses to maximise food production, while minimising waste and water usage.
As well as a tour of the farm, the day included a workshop where the team learned to build their own succulent terrariums, and time spent collecting the leaves and fruit from mulberry trees for the in-house chef, who uses them to make green tea and furikake seasoning.
General manager Australia and New Zealand Vic Naughton says the day was part of the airline’s “Leave Less and Do More” strategy when it comes to the environment.
“We are committed to leaving less through the way we operate, which means less carbon in our atmosphere, and less waste in our land and water,” Naughton said.
“At the same time, as one of the world’s leading airlines, we are focused on contributing more towards sustainability in our local communities.”
As part of its Climate Action Plan, Air Canada has set an ambitious goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from all global operations by 2050.
The airline provides regular updates on its efforts, which are currently focused on delivering by 2030 a 20 per cent net reduction in GHG emissions from air operations and a 30 per cent reduction from ground operations.
In addition, Air Canada is investing CA$50 million (AU$57.41m) in developing sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and carbon reduction/removal techniques, while its smart onboard recycling program has over the past four years helped remove 47.8 million single-use plastic items from flights and recycle 16.8 tonnes of aircraft textiles.
