I come into this week with some knowledge of the different ways in which fuel poverty
is being addressed in the Isle of Man.
My next goals is to ascertain the effectiveness of each of these strategies so that I
can focus my attention on something that genuinely makes a difference.
My research reveals that decarbonisation is a great way to reduce fuel poverty, and
has the bonus effect of tackling climate change.
STUDIO REVIEW
Figure 1: John Maeda. 2019. [book cover]
This week I take a look at the work of MAEDASTUDIO.
As an outlet for the work of John Maeda, the studio promotes generative art and digitial design. Maeda himself is a master of computer generated art, and his work sheds light on the intersections of technology, science, art, and design.
As a psychologist turned graphic designer Maeda's work resonates with me and provides me with an example of how my own passions can come together. His ethos of simplicity is a reminder that a lot can be done with a little knowledge and technology in design.
INTERVIEW WITH AN INDUSTRY EXPERT
The University of Sheffield. 2022. Department Logo. [scalable vector graphic]
I arranged an interview with fuel poverty expert, Dr. Robert Marchand of Sheffield University Management School. He suggested that single parents may be most at risk, yet I wanted to know whether – in the Manx context – it was single parents in social or private housing that are impacted most.
DECARBONISATION EFFORTS IN THE ISLE OF MAN
Although the Isle of Man is an independent jurisdiction from the UK, many of its decarbonisation goals and strategies are shared. The enshrinement of carbon reduction goals into Manx law should translate into measurable Government actions to meet those goals.
The Isle of Man aims to reach carbon neutral status by 2050 and has begun several initiatives toward this goal (see the government report below), but what was less clear at this stage was who was benefiting from decarbonisation when it comes to reduced energy bills.
Isle of Man Government Action Plan for Achieving Net Zero Emmissions by 2050
WHO BENEFITS FROM THESE INITIATIVES?
Who benefits from renewable energy installation schemes in the Isle of Man? It turned out that there was assistance for private homeowners and businesses, and there were some initiatives underway to increase the presence of renewable energy in social housing.
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: John Maeda. 2019. [book cover]. Available at: https://maedastudio.com/ [accessed 4th July 2022].
Figure 2: The University of Sheffield. Department logo. [scalable vector graphic]. Available at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/management [accessed 5th July 2022].
