The Peruvian surf school Olas Perú, founded in 1992 by the country's legendary surfer, Roberto "Muelas" Meza, has just become the first in the world with Carbon Neutral certification, the institution itself reported in a statement sent to the press.

To achieve certification, Olas Perú measured and offset its carbon footprint during 2023. “This process involved calculating the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted directly and indirectly by the school during that year. To determine the carbon footprint, the sources of emissions generated by Olas Perú’s activities were identified. These included aspects such as the transportation of materials and people, in addition to the use of resources necessary for its activities.”

Then: “By collecting data and documents, the amount of tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) emitted was calculated, following international standards such as ISO 14064-1:2018 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). This analysis not only allowed us to quantify emissions, but also to identify the main responsible sources, with the aim of progressively implementing mitigation measures and promoting more sustainable practices that reduce the carbon footprint within the school.”

Finally, they explained that: “Emissions that could not be reduced were offset through the acquisition of Certified Emission Reduction Certificates (CERs). In this case, the CERs acquired by Olas Peru come from a renewable energy emissions reduction project located in India, which has been validated by the United Nations.”

In a ceremony held at the Miraflores Municipal Palace, attended by Joel Koechlin, President of the National Chamber of Tourism of Peru (CANATUR), Luis Miguel "Magoo" de la Rosa Toro, representative of the National Surfing Sports Federation (FENTA), Master World Champion and current coach of Team Peru, Luciana Visneski, General Director of Green Initiative and Roberto Meza, General Manager of Olas Peru, the distinction was made official.