A SUSTAINABLE DAY EVENT
A sustainable day at school!
We care deeply about children, teachers, and families establishing a direct and genuine connection with nature.
A Day Full of Sustainable Knowledge and Experiences with Family!
On February 16, Sunday, we met at YeniOkul for "A Sustainable Day at School" to get acquainted with eco-friendly, sustainable habits.
In collaboration with Studio Sustain from Bilgi University's Faculty of Architecture, Buğday Association, Yeryüzü Association, Transformation Association, Permakamp, Another School is Possible, City Detective, Kokopelli in the City, Zehirsiz Ev – Mercan Yurdakuler, Alternative Education Magazine, Merak Et Magazine, EkBiçYeİç, Knot_X, and our parent Aslı Dündar Özcan, workshops and talks were held continuously across 6 classrooms, the library, and open areas between 11:00 and 17:00.
For the event decorations, cardboard boxes and waste materials collected from recycling bins and shops were repurposed. Fabric scraps were gathered from fabric shops in Eminönü and sewn into fabric flags that could be reused in future events. The school was prepared for the event in a completely sustainable and ecological manner, utilizing dry branches, pinecones, and leaves collected from Yıldız Park. All materials used were recyclable, upcycled, or reusable. Stainless steel forks and spoons from the school were used instead of single-use plastic utensils for meals. We consumed as little energy as possible, and all waste was collected and sent for recycling.
What did we learn, what did we experience?
Yasemin Kireç from Buğday Association held talks and workshops on seeds and compost-making for children and adults throughout the day. Children learned how to turn their organic waste into compost and grasped the basics of sprouting and growing seeds. İpek Peker from the Buğday Association spoke about the association's Zehirsiz Sofralar project and subsequently screened an episode from their documentary series.
Niyazi Selçuk, founder of the Transformation Association, first engaged adults with his talk on Waste-Free Living. He answered questions regarding whether a zero-waste life is truly possible, how we can reduce waste, and how we should sort and transform it. Afterward, he led an awareness workshop for children featuring his book "Yeşil Karıncalar" (Green Ants), written to foster environmental consciousness.
Elif Oğuzbal from Kokopelli in the City explained Bokashi composting in her talk. We learned all the details of Bokashi, which is the easiest composting technique to implement at home.
Burcu Süren and Öner Oktar from Knot_X, a sustainable fashion brand, led a thoroughly enjoyable conversation regarding whether fashion can genuinely be sustainable and how we can adapt our shopping habits.
The Studio Sustain team from Bilgi University's Faculty of Architecture was present all day with various activities. Aslı Kıyak İngin, Aysun Ateş Akdeniz, and Simge Göksoy discussed how the concept of sustainability can be integrated into educational and design environments during their delightful talk, "Sustainability in Design". Studio Sustain members Doğa Dayıoğlu ("Pattern Experiments with Plants"), Nanthini Priya Sampath ("Bioplastics Workshop"), and Derindeniz Akmanlar ("Waste Time Box Game") also led engaging workshops for the children.
Documentary productions on sustainability were shown all day in the documentary class.
Mercan Yurdakuler, who made a splash with her book Zehirsiz Ev, told about cleaning and personal care with natural materials without chemicals in her talk of the same name.
Leyla Kabasakal from Yeryüzü Derneği talked about quality food and ways to teach children about proper nutrition and cooperativism in her talk titled "Explaining Food to Children and Cooperating."
After her interview on sustainable community at Permakamp, Güneş Savaş conducted a fabric coating workshop with children using wax.
Aslı Dündar Özcan organized a sculpture workshop called "Paper Hands," where participants experienced creating art by transforming waste paper and various recyclable materials.
Gizem Kıygı, one of the founders of the City Detective initiative, conducted a talk on "Child's Perception of Sustainable Cities" and an urban design workshop with children.
In addition to workshops and talks for adults and children, there were also teacher workshops. Özge Oğuz from Başka Bir Okul Mümkün conducted a workshop on "Natural Cycles in the Classroom" for teachers, while Nevruz Yıldırım and Pınar Yılmaz from YeniOkul shared the Seed Project.
Burcu Arıkan and Bengisu Ecem Yıldız from EkBiçYeİç team conducted a workshop on "Growing Micro Sprouts and Micro Greens" with children. They also sold delicious and healthy food throughout the day at the school.
Alternative Education Magazine and Yeni İnsan Publications were present at the school with ecology, environment, and children's books.
Mothers, fathers, children, and participants of all ages, about 350 people, joined this sustainable day experience. It was a very enjoyable day where we discussed sustainability in daily life habits, education, and professional frameworks.