“All sectors need to participate. Transportation is one of the top contributors to carbon. I think it’s just responsible for all of us to offset our carbon usage and play a part."
Rob Ashe, AirSprint Fractional Owner
Jet Type: Cessna Citation CJ3+
Annual Hours: 75
Owner Since: 2016
Ottawa-based corporate director Rob Ashe has been an AirSprint Fractional Owner for almost seven years.
Currently, he is a corporate director at two public companies, as well as serving as adviser to several venture capital and private equity firms. During 24 years at software developer Cognos Incorporated, Ashe eventually led the company prior to its acquisition by IBM in 2008.
Giving back to the community has always been one of his foundational principles, as evidenced by his contributions to the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, the Ottawa Community Foundation, and the Telfer School of Management at University of Ottawa, where he is an alumnus.
Ashe owns a share in an AirSprint Cessna Citation CJ3+ and flies about 75 hours every year. A typical flight is about 2 to 2.5 hours, equally divided between business and pleasure.
He has been buying carbon credits to offset his flights for the last several years, once he explored the offset market and learned more about it.
“I feel that I have to do my part and save the carbon I produce,” said Ashe. “The plane is there for convenience, but with that comes some additional carbon creation, so I feel I should offset."
“I do think the offset market is getting better all the time. It is developing and starting to get some standards and credibility. I think people are realizing there are legitimate options.”
Ashe embraces the concept of sustainability. He’s ordered an electric car and has invested significant time in exploring the emerging carbon economy. He is closely associated with a foundation that is focused on the environment, and often checks in to see what’s new in offsets. He prefers doing business with companies that demonstrate a solid commitment to sustainable operations.
Any time he flies, whether commercial or private, he purchases carbon offsets.
“There are two versions: offsets offered by the commercial airlines and programs like those offered by AirSprint,” he explained. “I took their recommendations and did some of my own research. I’m always trying to access carbon credits that actually remove carbon from the air, as opposed to the ones that maintain something that already exists.”
Ashe believes the world is facing an “existential crisis” over the next 30 to 40 years, and the best chance of success lies with how we transition from fossil fuels to carbon neutral sources.
“I think the (private aviation) industry needs to get ahead of this,” he said. “The convenience and adaptability of private jet travel is hard to recreate. It allows you to do things you couldn’t otherwise do, and it’s probably the one thing that makes the biggest difference in your enjoyment of your free time. If we can do it sustainably, then it's a win-win.”
He is curious about longer-term aviation developments, including electrification, sustainable fuels, and carbon sequestration, which captures carbon as it exits an engine.
For now, though, Ashe feels good about AirSprint’s new carbon offsetting initiative.
“It’s taken the onus off me to find my own solutions. The fact that AirSprint is taking it seriously makes me feel a lot better about being a fractional aircraft owner. They will use their knowledge to access carbon credits in a way that will give me confidence that the credits I’m purchasing are legitimate.”
Inevitably, the world is moving towards a low-carbon economy, concluded Ashe.
“All sectors need to participate. Transportation is one of the top contributors to carbon. I think it’s just responsible for all of us to offset our carbon usage and play a part.”