Gef’s 30 Under 30 2024 Winners: Q&A with Sarah Mercer

Ten categories. Thirty young visionaries making their mark on the Isle of Man. Introducing the 2024 #Gef30Under30 winners: the next generation of our island’s leaders.

The UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man and Net Zero Isle of Man Sustainability category winners are taking care of the planet and taking names. They are optimistic about our island’s future, as long as we all start with small positive changes.

What is your name and age?

Sarah Mercer, age 28.

Job title or role in the community?

Co-Founder and CEO, Earthscope Isle of Man.

How did you start your career or role in the community?

It was a roundabout journey, but from telling my mum in Year 6 that I wanted to be a lawyer, to her suggesting I become an environmental lawyer, leading to me taking geography at university and falling in love with it, staying on for a Masters where I co-founded a now annual conference called Footprint, looking at solutions to the climate crisis. I came back to the Isle of Man and became Culture Vannin’s UNESCO Biosphere intern, then worked at Isle of Play, then a speaker from Footprint recommended me for a role at AimHi Earth, with whom I have been for over 3 years now as their Senior Presenter, which I did while travelling around Europe exploring ways of living in harmony with nature. The experience gained in all of these roles led to me coming back to the Isle of Man and setting up Earthscope with Matthew Warren, the social enterprise that puts people and planet at the heart of what we do. And now we are here!

In one sentence, summarise your journey so far as a young and successful person under 30.

Making the most of unexpected opportunities.

Tell us about your business/industry, is there something interesting about it that most people wouldn’t expect?

Something unexpected? It’s fun! Lots of people see environmentalism as preachy, boring or just too doom-laden to be something they’re inspired to be involved with. The truth is that it’s such an imaginative, collaborative and hopeful area to work in. It’s an arena in which we are constantly trying to bring people together to think about what a better future could look like, and I never fail to find that inspiring and exciting. Environmental thinking isn’t about ideas that say, “stop that!”; it’s about ideas that say, “imagine that!” When we start to find the thrill (and the fun) in the opportunities we have, that’s when change happens.

I get to have so much fun doing what I do. From working in and around the Eden Project for a month to marching with 150,000 passionate and caring people at COP26; I get to take my meetings in forests and on beaches, work with amazing people on the Isle of Man and around the world, collaborate with business who are doing things differently, and work in a purpose-led industry that is is at the forefront of deciding what world we get to live in.

A lot of people I speak to about environmentalism feel very alone, like they are the only ones who care and it’s hard for people to get excited when you feel like that. But the more people I talk to, the more I realise that people do care, but that most of us think we’re in a minority that want to help. And, actually, recent research has shown this discrepancy exists all around the world! I think realising that people around us care too is one of the most empowering things that we can do. Only after that will we feel that together we can have real agency and so manage to make a difference. And it does.

Here on the Isle of Man we are already surrounded by an incredible community of people who are planting temperate rainforests, embedding climate and nature in financial services, protecting and enhancing our rare marine worlds, creating innovative materials to replace plastics, leading community efforts to clean up our beaches and landscapes, practising circular economy, making homes warmer and cheaper to run, innovating in cleantech, hosting world-class sustainability training, sustainably farming, bringing in world-leading single use plastic bans, running climate cafes, transforming councils, creating stunning havens for wildlife, swimming in the wild waters, creating breathtaking nature-inspired artwork, directing films that break your heart and then put it back together again and so much more.

Have you experienced any hurdles in your career or community efforts and if so, how did you overcome them?

The main challenge I faced growing up on the Isle of Man with a drive to work on sustainability was the lack of job opportunities. The Island has been a fairly late starter in this area and so I thought I would have to leave the island to find work, which saddened me because, (as we all know!) the Isle of Man is an amazing place to live! However, I started creating my own projects, such as my film Island Utopias (in that case, as part of Culture Vannin Biosphere graduate intern role) and the more opportunities I took on, the more avenues I found to explore until I ended up creating my own social enterprise, Earthscope, with Matthew Warren. So, I created my own job! Thankfully, my previous roles and experiences equipped me with the skills and expertise needed to make this possible, as did the brilliant network of people on the Isle of Man who lend their time, knowledge and support.

Today, the challenges are different. Many organisations acknowledge the importance of climate action, but it’s not their priority. We know this leaves them vulnerable to the rapid and significant changes, both climate-related and regulatory, that are approaching. This presents a continual challenge when we’re here to help organisations build environmental engagement and resilience. Additionally, balancing the time between securing funding, sponsorship, or clients and working on community projects is a constant challenge.

Earthscope is a social enterprise and so working on environmental action is our purpose, but as we navigate this early stage of our work, balancing this with its financial stability is a hurdle we continually have to weigh up.

Tell us about why you think you won in the Sustainability category?

• Taught climate and nature courses to some of the world’s most influential companies including Sky, Unilever, Universal Studios, PepsiCo and the NHS.
• Delivered sustainability training to over 10,000 people including live from COP26 and the Eden Project, alongside environmental heavyweights like Chris Packham, Jessie Mei Li, Melati Wijsen, and Jojo Mehta.
• Co-founded Earthscope, the Isle of Man based social enterprise positioning the Isle of Man as a pioneering global leader in prioritising people and planet. Earthscope has already partnered with over 10 fellow sustainable minded organisations since its official launch in November 2023, and plans to continue connecting and expanding the mycelium of people and organisations doing amazing things on the Isle of Man.
• Trained Tynwald to become the world’s first Carbon Literate Parliament.
• Delivered Carbon Literacy training to over 300 public servants on the IOM.
• Developed training materials for BAFTA albert, the sustainable arm of the TV and film industry. The materials have been part of the training delivered to over 1,000 people in the film and television industry.
• Became Sustainable Mann accredited, and is hosting this years UNESCO Biosphere’s Sustainable Mann workshops.
• Is the Senior Climate and Nature Communicator and Lead Trainer at AimHi Earth, the world leading climate and nature training organisation,, delivering courses around the world and training other trainers in transformative sustainability leadership training.
• Served as an Island Ambassador from 2022-2023, representing the sustainability efforts of the Isle of Man.
• Co-founded Footprint, the now annual environmental summit held in Durham, for which I won the ‘Caring for your Environment’ award and brought in speakers such as Pen Hadow, the first (and still only) person to trek solo, without resupply, from Canada to the North Pole.
• Created Island Utopias, a documentary film capturing community visions for a better Isle of Man that was nominated for the prestigious Torc Award alongside productions from Sky Arts and the BBC.
• Created Manannan’s Charms, the app that weaves the fascinating and bizarre tales of Manx Folklore into a tale of helping our Island flourish and our relationship with the environment grow
• Live predominantly off-grid during the warmer months and spend my spare time rewilding a patch of land and learning about plants, sea swimming and making art.

Who are your role models, either on-island or off, in your sector or outside of it?

The obvious ones, but the crucial ones – my mum and dad. They spent a lot of time encouraging me to go outside, and while I definitely resisted (I was far more interested in playing on the Wii or my Nintendo at that point!) I did spend an awful lot of time playing and having a blast on the beach, in the sea and in the dens on Port St Mary prom.

My nanny Silvia was also hugely influential for me. I didn’t see her often, but I have such vivid memories of her showing me otter footprints in the bank of the river that ran near her house, and mildly traumatising me as a child by showing me the dead bats she kept in her freezer, and refusing to sweep the spiders away. But I also spent a long time listening to the bats on her bat radio, and sharing her deep love and appreciation of the natural world around us.

Mrs Howell-Evans was my high school Geography teacher and a hugely important role model, particularly fuelling my passion for nature and academia, which led me to doing Geography at University.

Since then I have been consistently inspired and in awe of the people around me, from some of the professors I got to work with at university, to the friends doing groundbreaking research, to the people on the Isle of Man dedicating their lives to making the Isle of Man a thriving and vibrant place to live, for all living things!

And of course, Mother Nature and Gaia herself. I am still learning how to listen, as she doesn’t quite speak the same language as the other role models in my life, but I strive to listen, understand and learn from her.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Ask for help. We are surrounded by loving, giving human beings, who for the vast majority want to lift and help those around them. But they don’t know how to help, or even that you need it if you don’t ask! Every time I have reached out there have been people who are willing to share their time, knowledge, expertise, connections, whatever they have to give. The Isle of Man is an amazing place for this, and I feel lucky every day to get to be a part of the community here.

What do you wish you knew when you were getting started in your career?

I feel very lucky that I have been raised to follow my purpose, rather than specific goals or achievements, which I think leads to a fulfilling life. But perhaps, relax. Work hard, but don’t stress.

What are your plans for the future?

To keep doing this! I am passionate about being part of putting the Isle of Man on the global stage as a pioneering global leader in prioritising people and planet, and I want to keep being a part of making the Isle of Man a vibrant, thriving place to live. Having said that, it would be a dream to create a physical space where people on the Island can come together to learn, create, innovate and connect in the arena of sustainability.

What changes do you hope to see in your sector or community in the coming years?

That sustainability stops being seen as an ‘add-on’ or additional hurdle, and instead an integral part of how we do business, make decisions and measure success. It’s when ideas move from afterthought to embedded values that we will make the most progress. And each one of us can help this culture shift by having conversations about the things we do and asking questions in a collaborative and understanding way about the decisions people are making at every level and offering alternatives that can be part of a sustainably thriving future.

What, for you, are the benefits of staying on or moving back to the island for young people under 30?

The Isle of Man is an absolutely fantastic place to live. From a purpose-led perspective, if you’re looking to make a difference, then the Isle of Man is a fantastic opportunity. Here, individuals as community-makers are so vital to the Island’s direction, so bring your ideas and your vision! You have a real chance to have impact through purposeful action here.
The landscape is varied, dramatic, stunning and accessible. You can be walking on a mountain, and then 15 minutes later relaxing on a beach. As a swimmer and newbie free-diver, having such a vibrant marine ecosystem is fantastic.

Our deep connection to folklore provides a wealth of cultural connectivity to our past, present and future. There is so much space for creativity and innovation. There is a huge artistic community in comparison to the size of the island, and so many people doing fabulous things and making the island their own.

And the people! People on the Isle of Man are incredibly friendly, keen to help, community minded, passionate and share a love of the Island.

What does being a Gef’s 30 Under 30 winner mean to you?

Being a Gef’s 30 under 30 winner is incredibly honouring, and I am excited to meet the other winners doing fabulous things around the Isle of Man and further afield.

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