Nature Air Opens 1st Vehicle Biofuel Station

Nature Air airline announced Tuesday  the first alternative vehicle fueling station in Costa Rica is up and running.

Nature Air is the first airline in Central America to attempt to run its heavy machinery and company vehicle fleet on bio-diesel fuel. Its airplanes will use convertion fuel.

“We hope to reduce our carbon footprint and help protect the water quality of our rivers and oceans where the rivers end up,” said Nature Air’s chief commercial officer Alexi Huntley.

The airline estimates a reduction of 49,256 gallons of CO2 emissions per year, a number calculated by looking at how much fuel their trucks and ground equipment burned per year and the equivalent carbon emissions using bio-diesel fuel.

Nature Air became the world’s first carbon neutral airline to be recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) last November. In addition, the company has joined an initiative called the Climate Neutral Network, which promotes global action toward lowcarbon economies and societies.

The airline’s fueling station has been providing bio-diesel fuel in addition to aviation gas and jet fuel to its customers since June 2008.

According to Huntley, Nature Air has been offsetting 100 percent of its carbon emissions since 2004 through conservation and reforestation programs.

Nature Air employees are encouraged to bring in their used cooking oil from home, which is converted into bio-diesel fuel.

–Vanessa I. Garnica