Rick Crawford
We are stoked to help another client achieve carbon neutrality! Patrick Cassidy is a fly fishing guide and owner of Cape Cod on the Fly Patrick Cassidy has been fishing the waters around Cape Cod for the past 30 years. Before Cape Cod on the Fly, he worked at the Cape Cod Times, writing and editing stories about a variety of topics, including fishing. He is fully licensed and insured, is an instructor of Coast Guard-approved courses at New England Maritime, is on the pro staff of Predator Fly Gear and is a member of the American Saltwater Guides Association. Here’s what Patrick had to say about why he decided to join the Fly Fishing Climate Alliance and go carbon neutral, “There is perhaps no place where the effects of climate change are more apparent than where I spend the majority of my days; on the water. Rising sea levels, warmer water temperatures and increased erosion are fast becoming major factors in determining where and how to fish, as well as what fish are available. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to fish and fisheries on the planet and according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the world would have to curb its carbon emissions by at least 49 percent based on 2017 levels by the year 2030 and then achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. Anglers, and guides who make a living on the water in particular, must always adapt to the conditions they encounter on any given day but the need to do so on a larger scale and at a faster pace than ever before because of climate change is a challenge the industry must confront as a cost of doing business. In addition to adaptation, I have decided to do my part to help mitigate these changes. That is why I joined the Fly Fishing Climate Alliance, which includes in its ranks fly fishing guides, shops, lodges, brands and nonprofit organizations committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. This move is not only important for my business but for my young clients who take their experience on the water home with them and act on it as they shape the future of not only the fisheries we love but the planet where we live.“
We couldn’t agree more and I am proud to know people like Patrick who are working diligently to protect what they love! Below is the Cape Cod on the Fly 2020 Carbon Footprint Report:
Cape Cod on the Fly 2020 Carbon Footprint Report
Carbon Neutral is defined by the World Resources Institute as “annual zero net anthropogenic (human caused or influenced) CO2 emissions by a certain date. By definition, carbon neutrality means every ton of anthropogenic CO2 emitted is compensated with an equivalent amount of CO2 removed (e.g. via carbon sequestration)….”
Methodology: Cape Cod on the Fly’s Carbon Footprint is based in the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting Standard and is created as a reference for what is included in the company’s Carbon Footprint, which provides relevant, complete, consistent, transparent and accurate GHG inventory.
Spend-based method: Estimate emissions for goods and services by collecting data on the economic value of goods and services purchased and multiplying it by relevant secondary (e.g., industry average) emission factors (e.g. average emissions per monetary value of goods).
Organizational Boundary: A financial control approach which assumes the business has financial control over its operations and the ability to direct the financial and operating policies over these activities.
Operational Boundary: To set operational boundaries, Cape Cod on the Fly must report its Scope 1 (direct emissions) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions) and is voluntarily reporting its Scope 3 (indirect emissions). For more information, see the table below:
Below is a summary of Cape Cod on the Fly’s 2020 carbon footprint:
- SCOPE 1 GHG Emissions: 16.7 mtCO2e
- SCOPE 2 GHG Emissions: 3.4 mtCO2e
- SCOPE 3 GHG Emissions: 6.5 mtCO2e
- 1.1 Heating: GHG emissions associated with burning distillate fuel oil for my home.
- 1.2: Mobile Sources: Fuel burned for my boat during the 2020 guiding season.
- 2.1 Electricity: GHG emissions associated with my home.
- 3.1 Manufacturing/Product Embodied Carbon: Rods, leaders and tippets purchased in 2020 for my guiding business.
- 3.2 Capital Goods: Not applicable.
- 3.3 Fuel & Energy Related Activities: The fuel burned for my boat during the 2020 guiding season and travel miles of my clients who came either to fish specifically with Cape Cod on the Fly, as well as those who booked during a pre-planned vacation, in which case I included travel from lodging to harbor and back.
- 3.4 Inbound Shipments: Not material.
- 3.5 Waste Generated in Operations: Waste generated in operations; a relatively small amount as I use reusable bottles, recycle, etc.
- 3.6 Business Travel: 2020 was a weird travel year due to COVID, but I did account for traveling down to Maryland for Lefty Kreh’s Tie Fest as well as some scouting missions.
- 3.7 Employee Commuting: Work commute involves hauling my boat to different boat ramps.
- 3.9 Shipments to Customers: Not applicable.
In following the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, some of the recommended categories were not included because they were deemed not applicable, such as: capital goods, upstream leased assets and end-of-life of sold products.
How I Achieved Carbon Neutrality: Before I explain how I went carbon neutral, I feel it’s important to define carbon offsets.
Carbon Offsets: “An offset project is ‘a specific activity or set of activities intended to reduce GHG emissions, increase the storage of carbon, or enhance GHG removals from the atmosphere.’ The project must be deemed additional; the resulting emissions reductions must be real, permanent, and verified; and credits (i.e, offsets) issued for verified emissions reductions must be enforceable.”
So, you are probably wondering, how did Cape Cod on the Fly go carbon neutral if the company’s carbon footprint is 26.6 mtCO2e? In short, I purchased carbon offsets for Scope 1, 2 & 3. I decided to purchase 30 mtCO2e worth of offsets through the nonprofit organization Cool Effect for a project with a direct connection between land-based activities and the coastal ecosystem, as well as the people who live and work there. Cool Effect provides a variety of options through projects around the world that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon and protect wildlife. The project I selected reduces GHG emissions, is additional, is verified and is permanent. Below is a brief description of the project:
Where Trees Save the Seas: “Guatemala: The Conservation Coast, is in the Izabel Region, one of the top three most deforested areas in Guatemala. The Project is designed to solve the main drivers of deforestation in the area and to improve the lives of more than 3,000 local families. This project brings together more than 1,000 diverse landowners, municipalities, NGOs, and private and public organizations to protect 60,000 hectares of highly threatened forest. Over its lifetime, the project will sequester 6.1 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.”
While I am excited to take this critical step to better understand Cape Cod on the Fly’s carbon footprint, now the real work begins. I understand that the most important thing I can do as a business is to reduce my carbon footprint. I know that carbon offsets are not a perfect solution, but feel strongly that a combination of many imperfect solutions is needed if the world is going to reduce the rate of climate change. This is one way I am trying to do my part as a beneficiary of the resource.
Follow us on our sustainability journey as we strive to reduce our carbon footprint to protect what we love!
Cape Cod on the Fly’s Carbon Footprint was calculated by Emerger Strategies with the Fly Fishing Climate Alliance Carbon Measurement Tool and the Report was produced by Emerger Strategies.