Perth Airport is boosting its eco-credentials with a range of new green projects, including offsetting carbon emissions from its bus fleet that will see tree plantings, seed collection, and integrated agricultural activities in Western Australia's Yarra Yarra biodiversity zone. Perth Airport is chasing carbon-neutral status by 2030 - just eight years away, and the race is on to meet that goal.

Offsetting carbon emissions from a bus fleet is hardly revolutionary, although Perth Airport says doing so will cancel out more than 300 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Longer-term, the airport wants to migrate to an all-electric bus fleet - that's a fine plan assuming that fossil fuels don't generate that electricity.

Perth Airport gets into the reforestation business

Perth Airport has teamed up with local carbon offset provider Carbon Neutral to plant trees across what's known as the Yarra Yarra biodiversity corridor, a 124-mile (200-kilometer) corridor of degraded land in the northern wheat belt of Southwest Australia. The corridor will reconnect remnant vegetation with 12 nature reserves across a 10,000 square kilometer area. In partnership with local providers, Carbon Neutral has so far planted more than 30 million mixed native species of trees and shrubs since 2008 in the corridor. Those trees will not only regenerate land harmed by agriculture, but the corridor will also serve as a carbon storage tank for 100 years.

Discover more of the latest aviation news with Simple Flying!

It sounds like the very opposite of a blistering hot airport apron and a largely treeless airport, but like other airports, Perth Airport is doing what it can to offset the environmental damage it causes. It's tough for airports to minimize their environmental impact - after all, acres of concrete, asphalt, glass, fossil fuel-guzzling bus fleets, and air conditioning units are the polar opposite of a light environmental footprint. But airports can help mitigate environmental damage elsewhere, and that's what Perth Airport is doing.

"Our new partnership with Carbon Neutral will purchase offsets within the Western Australian Yarra Yarra biodiversity corridor project," said Perth Airport CEO Kevin Brown. "We are excited to be part of this important local project, which already employs more than 200 people, including local indigenous people, and will look to generate new jobs for tree plantings, seed collections, and integrated agricultural activities for the duration of the project. Carbon Neutral uses the highest standard available for carbon offsetting, ensuring that every carbon offset is verified and accounted for."

Perth Airport says it is committed to environmental sustainability

Perth Airport says it "aspires" to be a sustainability leader and is committed to acting ethically, sustainably, and responsibly in its commercial operations. While a 2030 carbon-neutral target is admirable, arguably more interesting are the airport's efforts to minimize further damage around its immediate area, including preserving the Munday Swamp Wetland and no net loss of biodiversity from future development.

And there's another environmental target Perth Airport is quietly working on - cutting their water usage. The airport and its various tenants are one of Perth's biggest water consumers - no surprises there, airports are big water-intensive places. But Perth is a dry climate city that regularly has extended periods of low rainfall. Water shortages within the Perth area highlight the critical need to manage and minimize water use.

Perth Airport says it is committed to increasing the water use efficiency of operations across its land and developing a water efficiency management plan, water efficiency targets, and continuing to investigate water use efficiency improvements across the estate.

"We commit to sustainable development principles and understand that our success goes hand-in-hand with operating sustainably and meeting today's challenges while planning for the future," the airport says.