- What is your perspective on life?
Everyone has a starting point in this life. Some are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, while others are born into poverty. No one can choose their parents. We all start somewhere. What matters isn’t where you start, but the difference between where you start and where you end up. If you’ve always built upon your progress in life, you’ve lived a positive life. This shouldn’t necessarily be perceived in economic terms. In other words, if you’ve been a good parent and raised good children for your country and the world, then you’ve had a good life contributing to humanity. If you’ve served people for a long time in an NGO, then you’ve had a positive life. Of course, all of this requires hard work and serious effort. There’s also the joy of life. After all, we all exist for a limited time. That’s why I embrace Pura Vida, which reflects a uniquely Costa Rican philosophy.
This uniquely Costa Rican philosophical approach can be translated into Turkish by various concepts such as ‘pure life,’ ‘beautiful life,’ ‘living to the fullest,’ or ‘positive life.’ Regardless of how it’s used, it always reflects a positive expression. My understanding of Pura Vida’s equivalent of ‘positive life’ is this: Life is beautiful to the extent it’s imbued with meaning. Therefore, we must take responsibility and focus on producing what is positive and meaningful.
- Could you tell us about TİDER? What’s the story behind your association’s founding?
Food waste is among the world’s most pressing problems today. One-third of the food produced globally goes to waste. In Türkiye, one in five families lives below the poverty line. While working in the food sector, I was aware of the waste we encounter daily, a common occurrence in our professional lives, and I was also saddened by the sight of people living below the poverty line. This observation led me to believe, “We must do something, too.”
In 2009, a dinner was held in honor of Bob Forney, founding president of the Global FoodBanking Network, which aims to develop food banking globally and includes food banks from all over the world. I attended this dinner as the manager of a food company seeking a social responsibility project related to our topic. At this event, I was introduced to the ‘food banking’ system, established in America and Europe to reduce food waste, and I thought, ‘Why shouldn’t we implement such a system in our country?’ In fact, food banking is used as a tool in the fight against hunger worldwide. Fortunately, Türkiye, unlike many other countries, is not a country with a severe hunger crisis. Few people live below the poverty line. Conversely, there are approximately 30 million people living below the poverty line. Furthermore, as is the case worldwide, there is significant food waste in our country. The idea that led us to the establishment of TİDER was our belief that even by preventing waste alone, we could meet the basic needs of those in need. To this end, eight food companies came together and in May 2010, we founded the Food Banking Association, with the mission of serving as the umbrella organization for food banking in Türkiye. I was elected chairman of the association’s board of directors during this process. At the time, we provided consulting services to newly established food banks with our knowledge and experience, donating the bare necessities such as food, cleaning products, and clothing. In 2014, we decided to establish a food bank to implement our envisioned model. However, we also recognized that while food banking is a valuable tool, consistently providing individuals with their basic needs is unsustainable. We believed that we needed to provide these individuals with their basic needs while also providing them with employment, eliminating the need for food banks for these individuals and families. Thus, we developed an integrated model that, in conjunction with the food bank, also aims to create jobs.
Living below the poverty line doesn’t just mean trying to get by on a small amount of money. These people can’t afford education. They can’t get enough food, they can’t get enough warmth, and they often struggle with health problems. They feel isolated in society, and unfortunately, those forced to live in this situation for extended periods lose hope in life, and their values begin to diverge. The problem isn’t just about earning little. These people also lose hope. Yet, reaching out to them restores their joy of life and hopes for the future. Furthermore, they long to be able to stand on their own two feet if offered employment opportunities. Ultimately, we developed a model to provide lasting solutions by providing job opportunities, in addition to systematically providing food and basic needs assistance to disadvantaged groups. For this purpose, we adopted the name ‘Basic Needs Association.’
- What are you doing for nature?
As you know, renewable energy is the most effective tool in our fight against climate change. I am one of those who advocate for the rapid transition to renewable energy. In fact, in 2013, I wrote an article in Turkish Policy Quarterly entitled Why Türkiye Should Aim for 100% Renewable Energy?’ I am one of the pioneers of solar energy in Türkiye. I also have work in wind and biogas.
I have work in organic agriculture, ecological buildings, and water technologies. I will share these with you in the future. At this stage, I can say that we are implementing agricultural irrigation projects fed by solar power plants.
- In 2013, you wrote an article in Turkish Policy Quarterly titled “Why Türkiye Should Aim for 100% Renewable Energy?” Is this possible? If so, how and in what timeframe could it be achieved?
Of course it is. When I wrote my article, which can be found at http://turkishpolicy.com/article/632/why-Türkiye-should-aim-for-100-renewable-energy-summer-2013 , five years ago, many people laughed at me. “Isn’t what you’re saying a bit utopian?” I encountered comments like this. I responded to all these comments with, “The whole world will soon switch to 100% renewable energy.” I even offered the mockers, “Shall we bet?” None of them took the plunge.
Now, at this point, the 100% renewable energy target is being discussed more every year. Gradually, all countries are abandoning fossil fuel-based energy production and focusing on renewable energy. With the government’s will behind it, the 100% renewable energy target could easily be achieved within 3-5 years.
Approximately five years after the article in Turkish Policy Quarterly, I’d like to add this for the record: The 100% renewable energy target will be achieved much earlier than anyone expected. The fossil fuel lobby is setting targets like 2040 or 2050. They’re making their calculations with the idea that “We’ll be making a living from this for another 20-30 years.” I greet these comments with a wry smile. I want to give them this message: Despite all your efforts and lobbying efforts, water will find its way, and we will see countries reach the 100% renewable energy target long before the dates you set. Either you change your way of doing business and at least address your past sins, or you will vanish!
- Will you have any projects related to education in the future?
We’re currently addressing very important issues with TİDER, but education is paramount. I’m not talking about school education here; there are three types of education we need to address: First, education between the ages of 2 and 10. During this period, children’s perceptions are very receptive, and they absorb everything they’re given. I wrote a post on my blog a few months ago about this, and in that post, I mentioned that in developed societies, parents take their children to charity work from the age of two to instill social responsibility. When these children grow up with a sense of charity, they grow up with a sense of kindness and can maintain this sense of responsibility throughout their lives. This is crucial.
The second crucial education is the education of parents. Parents need to be more conscious of what emotions they should instill in their children and how they should treat them. There’s an organization called AÇEV (Medical Education Foundation) that provides parenting education, but it needs to be expanded throughout Türkiye. It might be a difficult idea to implement, but I believe couples should be required to receive some form of education before having children.
The third important issue is ‘training educators.’ When I talk to educators, I sometimes get the impression that they’re inadequate because so much in our education system is based on rote learning. I’ll give a very simple example: there are 3.5 million Turks in Germany, and we have world-class athletes from Turks living there, but despite having 80 million people in Türkiye, we can’t achieve the same success. I think we need to look at the institutions and educators where these athletes are trained to understand why.
- Can an association handle this much work? Shouldn’t this work be done by the private sector?
This is a fabrication of companies that profit from the social assistance system. They always tell the same story: Associations can’t financially manage this work to be sustainable.
Let me tell them this right away: When the system is in place, NGOs will be able to more easily secure funding than a company could. As TİDER, our system is about to be established. Our association will have a very strong financial structure with the support of thousands of people, without requiring significant investment from anyone. In fact, this support will reach millions in the future. Furthermore, as an entrepreneur, I’d like to emphasize this: An NGO can easily do the work a company can do. So, what you’re doing isn’t a game-changer. For example, just as we collect fees for vocational training activities through our economic enterprise at TİDER (Turkish Employment Agency), using our employment agency certificate, an NGO can operate just like a private sector organization. The only difference here is that the money earned doesn’t go to the company’s shareholders but instead generates funds for civil society projects.
I’ve said it many times before: Money earned through the social assistance system is unethical. These profits should be recycled back into the social assistance system. There are companies out there that present themselves as social enterprises providing social benefits and deceive many people. Just like the fossil fuel lobby, they denigrate NGOs and claim that only they can do this work. I will prove the opposite to everyone. My message to those who are bothered by my shedding light on the wrongdoings is this: You’ll be even more bothered. Because I will continue to take the necessary action against fraudsters like you until you withdraw from NGOs.
- Are some organizations in Türkiye called social enterprises a scam?
It’s necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff. There are decent organizations that live up to their name, genuinely create social benefits, and genuinely support NGOs rather than burdening them. However, there are some who engage in all sorts of acrobatics. They manipulate people’s emotions and portray the crooked system they’ve established as one that will save the world. When people like us shed light on the situation, they play the victim and continue to manipulate, claiming, “They’re messing with young people with bright futures like us.” Yet, throughout my life, I’ve helped all young people with good intentions and character to the best of my ability, and I will continue to do so. I’ve never supported those with bad intentions and character; I’ve even warned them to correct their distorted mindset. Today, many people don’t realize they’re being exploited by those who present themselves as social enterprises. Unfortunately, when things go wrong, many people, including the social assistance system built on trust, will be negatively impacted once again by these fraudsters. Let me warn you once again.
- To my blog or to my blog?
In my previous articles, when the word ‘blog’ was added to the word ‘blog,’ I didn’t soften the final ‘g’ like it was a special word, changing it to ‘ğ.’ However, after reading the Turkish Language Association (TDK) and some related articles, I realized that the correct spelling is ‘blokma.’ Therefore, from now on, when the word ‘blog’ is added to the word, I will make the necessary changes. From now on, you’ll see me writing it as ‘blokma.’
Note to my foreign readers: Turkish belongs to the Ural-Altaic language group and has a very different grammatical structure. All suffixes are added to the end of words, and some letters change when forming a connection (conjugation).
- Can you define food banking?
To clarify the definition of a food bank, the basic principle is that donated products are collected in one place and delivered to those in need. There are three formats for food banking. The first is the warehouse format, which the Americans recommend. In this format, products are collected, packaged, and delivered to those in need, but we do not currently implement this format. We implement a market format where people have the right to choose. Designated families come to our markets and, as if shopping for their needs, select and purchase products within the allocated limits in a closed-loop system. These markets stock food, cleaning products, and clothing. In addition to the market format, there is a soup kitchen format, which includes cooked food. Although it is a very challenging format, some civil society organizations are successfully implementing this model. We also support, and will continue to support, principled NGOs like the ‘Embrace Life Association’ that have successfully implemented this model. We also have ‘Support Cloud’ software, which includes: Donated items are shared, and those in need reserve them at the relevant food bank nearby, which then sends its truck to pick up the items at the agreed-upon time. This allows us to automate the system and keep track of everything. Donating companies—manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers—share products on our support cloud platform, while food banks, such as grocery stores and soup kitchens, can register and collect shared items. Among our members, we have 20 donor organizations and 15 food banks.
- What did you want to be when you were little?
I don’t know if I was inspired by the movie Rocky, but the first thing I remember was being a boxer. After boxing, I remember changing my mind about becoming an astronaut. The depth and infinity of space, along with the curiosity of what’s out there, made space a passion for me. I can’t say I’ve done much in this field up until now, but I know I’ll be involved in some space-related work in the future.
Finally, with my father’s encouragement, I studied finance and accounting at university with the intention of becoming a banker. I ended up choosing the wrong major. I was destined for engineering. Math, physics, chemistry, and biology were always my best subjects. Social studies courses like history and literature didn’t interest me much, and because I wasn’t enthusiastic, my grades were lower than in other sciences. Also, my physical education and art classes were always the highest.
After all, just like water finds its way, I understand solar energy and related topics as much as an engineer, even if I’m a self-taught one. I’ve been involved in the construction of many power plants. And because R&D interests me the most, I even attend R&D meetings. The important thing is to follow your passion. And I found my own path, albeit belatedly.
Tag: ecology
