‘It’s been so much fun. It’s vibrant and different to the other awards that happen in the island and obviously that’s partly down to the incredibly vibrant young people involved but overall, it’s just been a very different experience.’  

That’s co-ordinator of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man, Jacqui Keenan, reaction to being involved in Gef’s 30 Under 30 awards for the first time this year.

UNESCO, along with Net Zero Isle of Man, have teamed up with the campaign as partners of the awards’ ‘sustainability category’. 

‘I met people from different categories and that was really nice, so the opportunities this campaign brings to network is really valuable,’ Net Zero’s engagement officer Jade Foster tells me, matching Jacqui’s enthusiasm.  

Sustainability lies at the heart of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man’s work, in nature, the community/the Manx culture and heritage, and making the island’s economy as sustainable and diverse as possible.

Meanwhile, Net Zero has a big commitment to sustainability in the Island Plan, the economic strategy, the island’s climate targets. So, it made the partnership with Gef’s 30 Under 30 Sustainability Category a natural fit. 

Jacqui added: ‘We often only celebrate people at the peak of their career which for most people is quite late on, but it’s important to encourage and celebrate people at all stages.’

Emma Sayle, Sarah Mercer and Katie Watson were crowned winners of this year’s sustainability category.

And it’s not the first time Jacqui and Jade had heard of the brilliant work they’ve been doing. 

‘All the winners are forces of nature.’ Jacqui tells me.

‘Emma Sayle worked with Biosphere IoM, she did her student placement with us and created our Sustainable Mann toolkit for businesses, so we know first-hand how incredible she is and how hard she works, we’re so proud of what she’s achieved.’ 

‘I like how there’s a really nice spread as well, like Emma with business, Sarah with education, and Katie in environmental research, it’s nice to have that uniqueness across the board’, Jade added.

‘Sarah delivers carbon literacy training for the public service, she’s trained more than 300 members of the public service already and the feedback on her energy, enthusiasm and how she delivers those sessions has been great.’ 

Meanwhile, Katie is currently in Hong Kong doing research on sea grass, which Jacqui says is an integral part of the island’s biodiversity. 

‘It’s fantastic to hear that she’s taken the knowledge that she’s learned in the island and is using it in different places all over the world. That’s something we quite often see with marine science particularly is that the Isle of Man creates these incredible marine scientists.’ 

And Emma, Sarah and Katie weren’t the only ones putting an emphasis on sustainability in their work. A point that wasn’t lost on Jade. 

‘It was actually so nice to see sustainability being a priority in most of the winner’s categories, how almost all of them had sustainability as an integral foundation in their work.’ 

With the internet being rife with misinformation and disinformation, I asked if there are any myths about UNESCO Biosphere and Net Zero Isle of Man Jacqui and Jade wished they could dispel.  

Jacqui said: ‘I think there’s the age-old belief that having a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status restricts us from doing certain things in the island.

‘For example, planning and development. It’s not about stopping those things. The status is there to guide us to do things in the most considered and sustainable way that allows us as a community to live with the rest of nature in the best possible for the benefit of everybody and everything.’ 

Jade added it’s the ‘we can’t do anything because as an island we’re too small to make an impact’ argument that pops up regularly.

‘We do have the ability to contribute. It’s a global challenge, we all have a responsibility to work together and play our part. We’re on a world stage so we can set an example.’ 

That’s not the last you’ll see of Net Zero and Biosphere Isle of Man, they’ll be supporting 30u30 mixer activities throughout the year where winners and partners are brought together to support initiatives designed to help the future of the island. This includes tree planting in 2025, which all winners and partners are invited to. 

This is all a mere snippet of the brilliant work being done by UNESCO Biosphere and Net Zero and there’s something to benefit everyone.

So, if you’d like to find out more about what’s in it for you and how you can help, head on over to www.biosphere.im and/or www.netzero.im