Workshops will help businesses adopt sustainable practices

Businesses in the Isle of Man are being offered training that will help them adopt more sustainable practices.

Sustainable Mann workshops will run in September and October, with 30 spaces available. 

They will cover topics such as starting and growing a sustainable business, energy use, climate change mitigation, dealing with waste, adopting a circular economy approach and helping nature and wildlife.

Encouraging sustainable development is one of the main functions of UNESCO Biospheres globally. Educating people about sustainable practices is also an aim of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man’s local strategy, Working Together for a Sustainable Future.

The two-hour workshops will be delivered on Tuesday mornings from 9.45am at St John’s Mill by experts from the Isle of Man Government and private sector.

Each workshop will cost £5 to attend, this will include refreshments to be served for half an hour prior to the start to allow networking.

The workshops are run by UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man, in partnership with the Climate Change Transformation Team, Department for Enterprise, Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce, University College Isle of Man and the One World Centre.

Businesses that attend all six sessions will be awarded the ‘Sustainable Mann’ certificates to display in their premises and on their websites and social media channels and will feature in UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man publicity.

Clare Barber MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘Adopting more sustainable practices is essential for the future of our planet, and businesses of all sizes could make a huge difference to sustainability in their sectors but may not have the in-house knowledge.’

‘These workshops have been tailored to give businesses the most benefit and provide some of this expert advice. Our speakers will share a wealth of knowledge, and the Climate Change Transformation and UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man teams will be able to put the impact in perspective.

‘We hope businesses will take advantage of these sessions and take their learning back to implement as we work together for a more sustainable future.’

Places can be booked via the Biosphere website or through the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce website.

Priority booking was offered to businesses that are Partners of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man.