As an environmentalist, Gerard and his wife have started many projects to prevent Deforestation in Brazil and evaluate the quality of its water and air.

After living in Rio de Janeiro for 25 years, the couple moved to Brasília in 2006 to be closer to the Amazon Rainforest[6] and begin the Flying Rivers project.

[7] In 1983, after graduating as a mechanical engineer, Gerard acquired his pilot license in California and arrived in Brazil, where he set up a maritime freight business to transport soybeans.

[12] His expedition was once again covered by Fantástico, a work that resulted in the book Asas Do Vento: A Primeira Volta Ao Mundo Num Motoplanador (Wings of the Wind: The First World Tour in a Motorglider).

[22][23] In 2007, Gérard, together with renowned Brazilian scientists, started a research project to evaluate the water flow from clouds and the possibility of drought being caused by the deforestation of the Amazon Forest.