Project charts Isle of Man's journey towards tackling climate change

Mann's Green Footsteps is a Culture Vannin project charting the Isle of Man's journey towards tackling climate change. It is led by Sarah Mercer, Biosphere intern. She writes:

Culture Vannin is launching its latest project, and I am so thrilled to finally be sharing it with you.

As we face the greatest global challenge in living memory, the Isle of Man is taking strides towards a greener future.

Since the announcement of the 11-year deadline by the IPCC report this time last year, we have seen the Isle of Man Government announce a climate emergency and begin developing a Climate Action Plan.

We have also seen the formation of groups such as the Isle of Man Climate Change Coalition and the Student Climate Network and an increased interest in existing groups such as the Isle of Man Green Party, Friends of the Earth and many others. Individuals are also making a change.

Pressure from consumers has encouraged Shoprite to create a ‘Plastic Free’ section, and shops such as the Good Health store are seeing more popularity. Local businesses are turning green, becoming Refill stations, using Manx produce and materials, reducing their packaging, and offering eco-friendly options.

This kind of cultural change is driven by the stories we tell ourselves about how we got here and where we are going.

Mann’s Green Footsteps is the next chapter in that story. It is a film that will record those changes, and celebrate the steps the Isle of Man has taken to address this global issue right here in our backyard.

The film will celebrate those successes and achievements and highlight the benefits brought by a greener society and country. But it will also raise the questions of what we are currently not doing, how we might achieve this, and what we want the Isle of Man to look like in the future.

Most importantly, this film is following the journey of our people. I want this project to be a collaboration with the community of the Isle of Man, to be driven by your contributions, both in terms of videos to be part of the film, but also your ideas.

I want to share the creative process with you, to hear your recommendations of people, businesses and groups to include, what themes you want covered, and what questions you want asking.

So, if you, or anyone you know is involved with growing your own food, tree planting, green business, sustainable agriculture, reducing plastic consumption, conservation or clean energy, to name just a few activities that we would be interested in including, then please send them to sarah@culturevannin.im via the file-sharing platform of your choice (such as Dropbox, WeTransfer, Firefox Send).

If you would like to follow and be involved with the creative process, make sure you follow Culture Vannin on Facebook and Instagram, where we have our 'Footprints Fridays'. I look forward to this collaboration, and can’t wait to see your contributions.