Islands Energy Group has pledged £5k for three environmental projects

Islands Energy Group, the parent company of Isle of Man Energy has announced the winners of its Together We Can Fund, part of its Sustainability Strategy.

Ballakermeen High School have been given £1,500 to fund a kerbside recycling programme and the installation of bins throughout their school.

 The Fund was launched by IEG earlier this year as part of the Group’s Sustainability Strategy – a roadmap to how the business aims to achieve Net Zero by 2050.  Aligning with the Strategy’s target to positively impact the environment and the communities we work in, the Fund invited organisations (conservation groups, charities, students, community groups, schools, social enterprises, among others) that are actively working on projects to conserve nature, promote sustainability or minimise their own or the community’s environmental impact to apply.  

The Isle of Man winner, Ballakermeen High School, will put the money towards a kerb side recycling station and signs, achieving the same benefits as a Reverse Vending Machine. Ballakermeen High School have already engaged with a local business Recycle Collect about the Reverse Vending Machine idea, and are working with the newly launched student Eco Committee to have a student contest to develop some signs for the bins that will be installed throughout the school.

Graeme Corrin, Head Teacher at Ballakermeen High School, said: “The Ballakermeen High School Association (BHSA) works tirelessly to raise funds and run activities to support our students at Ballakermeen. Recycling is an important area that our parent association are developing with us. We are therefore delighted to have gained the support of Islands Energy Group who have provided funding for a contract with ‘Recycle Collect’ and a recycling bin to go with it.

“Our moral imperative to make a positive contribution to environmental issues is clear. This support and our partnership with Islands Energy Group will be a springboard for our ambitious plan to look at all areas of life at Ballakermeen through a lens of environmental guardianship.”

Alex Herschel, Chief Sustainability Officer at Islands Energy Group, said: “ “We are delighted to have received such a great range of applications for the Fund, from all three islands. Our employee led Sustainability Working Group voted for the Ballakermeen High School because they felt that this project best aligned with IEG’s UN Sustainable Development Goals and Pillar Two of our Sustainability Strategy, which is all about protecting our local environment, positively impacting our local communities and strengthening our islands’ commitments to reaching Net Zero. Our Sustainability Working Group particularly felt that the passion for sustainability that the young people at Ballakermeen High School showed in their application was really inspiring, so we’re thrilled to be able to provide some funds to help.”

Awards were also made in the Channel Islands. In Guernsey, Wild Islands Collective have been given £2,000 to purchase a probe lens and a camera to support the creation of a new film they’re working on about pollinators. Jersey Mencap is the winner from Jersey, and they’ve been given £1,500 to support with the general running of their Pond Project.

For more details of the next round of our Together We Can Fund which runs twice a year, please visit the Together We Can Fund page.