Plan for sustainable living launched on Mannin

A plan to develop the Isle of Man (Mannin) into an example of sustainable living has been officially launched. The EcoVannin initiative, is a joint venture between environmental groups, local businesses and Government departments. The aim is to encourage cooperation and long-term planning to preserve the environment and achieve sustainable economic growth. The group’s priorities have been divided into categories that include: business, energy, food, the environment, transport, media and Government.

EcoVannin has been granted one year’s funding from the Manx Lottery Trust  and recruited coordinators Cat Turner and Wendy Shimmin. The initiative is led by a steering group that includes environmental groups Zero Waste Mann, Isle of Man Friends of the Earth and the Manx Energy Advice Centre alongside representatives of the Department for Economic Development (DED), the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture and the Manx Utilities Authority.

The Chair of the steering group is Murial Garland who compared the objectives of the initiative to replicating the remarkable success achieved with the Manx Gaelic language. She said: ‘Just as the Manx language has been transformed over the last 60 years, I think that sustainability that balances economic, environmental and social aspects could be achieved in the next 60 years.’

Graham Cregeen, Member of the House of Keys (Manx: Y Chiare as Feed) which is the directly elected lower branch of Tynwald (Manx parliament), who is responsible for energy and the clean tech sector within the Department of Economic Development, said: ‘Work on ensuring the island’s environmental sustainability is by no means new - EcoVannin simply provides a mechanism for NGOs, Government, business and the community to work together. We’re entirely supportive of these aims and look forward to co-operating on a range of meaningful, material projects in the coming year.’

Details about EcoVannin can be found on their website.