Partner profile: Earthscope

For our November Partner profile, we hear from Earthscope, a newly formed social enterprise offering sustainability training and more:

In 2021, via the IRG Climate Insights Report, we found out that 91% of people on the Isle of Man believe that humans are changing the climate and 72% are worried about it but that almost half of us find that conflicting information makes it hard to know what to do to make a difference. A new social enterprise on the Isle of Man is setting out to respond to the desire for change by supporting positive action at every level.

Earthscope is launching this month (November 2023) with a vision of the Isle of Man as a 'pioneering nature first nation, where every decision made by every person is based on the idea that to have a flourishing society, nature needs to flourish'.

It is the brainchild of two of us, Sarah Mercer and Matthew Warren, and has a central mission to catalyse and support action in every organisation and community on the Island through a blend of courses, workshops, and facilitation. It is opening its doors this month, offering training, transformation, and accreditation for Manx businesses.

We are currently delivering the Isle of Man Government’s sustainability training, but this month are launching our sustainability partnership service for businesses.

For organisations, we offer extended relationships that kickstart employee-led transformation with whole-organisation training in collaboration with the internationally successful climate and nature education charity, AimHi Earth. But these relationships are more than training; everyone in the organisation is also supported to develop individual, community, and organisational action plans (called ‘greenprints’) and to put them into action. This grass-roots ethos is designed to give business leaders a clear mandate and pathway to adopt forward-thinking changes with the support of their workforce.

For those whose greenprints are more concerned with personal or community goals, though, Earthscope is there to back them too. Our start-up is founded as a social enterprise, committing to returning at least half of its annual profits to community projects through a seed fund supporting communities to come together to connect with nature and champion its recovery.

The ambition of a 'pioneering nature-first nation' is a tall order and we are not alone in this mission. Earthscope is partnering with a number of organisations who support its aims with their specialist knowledge and insights. This commitment to collaboration from the off has gained them the support of organisations including Manx Wildlife Trust, the Isle of Man Woodland Trust, the Manx National Farmers’ Union, Make Good, and Beach Buddies.

With the support of these groups, Earthscope offers not only information and support for businesses to change, but also provides opportunities to connect with and support the recovery of nature in our Biosphere nation with action days, visits, and specialist insights into the spectacular ecosystem that surrounds and supports us.

We welcome enquiries, so get in touch with Earthscope about how it can support forward-thinking businesses on the Isle of Man. At the core of Earthscope’s ethos is a belief that working and connecting with nature lays the groundwork for purposeful people, creative communities, and leadership that counts. 

Contact is via earthscope.edu@gmail.com, but don’t be surprised if you’re invited to meet us in a glen or a picturesque point along the Raad ny Foillan. After all, we can only make a better world if we first celebrate what is all around us in our unique Biosphere nation.