In the first two of these speeches, I explained TİDER’s two important missions: preventing waste and enabling those in need to become self-sufficient. In my final speech, which I will share later, I addressed the topic of ‘Self-Sufficient Buildings.’
I delivered my first speech on 15 October at the Social Good Summit, organized by TBWA (http://www.tbwa.com.tr/ ) and supported by UNDP (United Nations Development Program – http://www.tr.undp.org/content/turkey/tr/home.html ), which I described as ‘finally happening.’ I would like to share with you the information provided about this summit, which was very beneficial for society and was also organized with the support of IDEMA (http://www.idema.com.tr/ ):
The astonishing pace of advancement in technology and new media offers opportunities for human development beyond our current understanding. As our world continues to undergo this rapid transformation, the Social Good Summit focuses on where we are heading now. The annual summit brings together a highly active community of change architects and future-focused thought leaders around the theme #2030NOW. Aiming to explore the world we want to live in by 2030, the Social Good Summit focuses on how we can harness the potential of technology to make our world a more livable place. For more details, please visit the summit website: http://www.sgsistanbul.org/
Food That Benefits
In the 14th session of the Social Good Summit, after 2:00 PM, I spoke on the panel entitled Food for Good alongside Rama Alkalas (Community Manager, Refugee Life Food Incubation) and Ebru Baybara Demir (Chef, Entrepreneur, Cercis Konağı Mardin). Frankly, this speech, delivered at the Hilton Convention Center, wasn’t one of the best I’ve given. There were two reasons for this. The first was the time constraint. We were told we had five minutes. Explaining TİDER’s relatively complex integrated model in five minutes wasn’t easy. Furthermore, Ebru, who was scheduled to speak after me, was seriously panicking backstage about what to say in five minutes. I’ve known Ebru and her husband for a long time, since the early days of Cercis Murat. To put her at ease, I cut my speech short by two minutes and gave her the floor. She was able to comfortably deliver her message in the remaining seven minutes. He couldn’t believe I’d done this, so he thanked me with a surprised expression on his face before he began his speech (he later reiterated his thanks backstage). As I briefly summarized the topics in those three minutes, I also issued an important warning about the second reason I wasn’t so enthusiastic when it came to our vision for preventing waste. I said the following:
“Kindness multiplies by copying, and I have no objection to that. There are some companies that copy and continue in this way. I have only one objection here: earning commission income through food banks is unethical, and I want to emphasize this. For example, nonprofits are not a sales outlet. You don’t go to a nonprofit and try to impose an exclusive saying, ‘If you buy from them, I won’t give you anything.’ That’s completely wrong; you can’t market this as a social enterprise. Let me put that in parentheses.”
I’ve fulfilled my duty and issued my warning once again. This social enterprise, which has involved many people in unethical practices, will cause serious trouble for people. I emphasize this once again.
I’d like to share the slides from my presentation with you:
I am also sharing the video and pictures of the panel I attended, titled “Food for Benefit,” below:
Sustainable Food Conference
The second speech I mentioned at the beginning was delivered at the 4th Sustainable Food Conference on 17 October.
I’d like to share a brief introductory text from this conference with you:
Rapid political and environmental changes are having significant impacts on societies around the world. Providing a healthy and nutritious diet for a growing global population, within safe environmental limits, is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today. How can we transition from goals to action, from commitments to systemic change in the face of these challenges?
Based on these realities, the Sustainability Academy and TÜGİS, which brought the sector together last year with the goal of sustainable growth, are bringing together all stakeholders this year for the fourth Sustainable Food Conference 2018, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
National and international experts from the business, public, scientific, and civil society sectors are coming together at the Sustainable Food Conference to raise awareness in the sector and accelerate the sustainability transformation of food systems in line with the goal of providing healthy, safe, and accessible food to an ever-increasing global population.
The Sustainable Food Conference aims to showcase the opportunities and solutions offered by food systems transformation to address interconnected issues and challenges such as population growth, climate change, sustainable growth, resource efficiency, health, hunger, and migration, along with leading industry leaders.
For more details, you can visit https://www.surdurulebilirgidakonferansi.com/.
Another honorary award for TİDER!
Following the opening remarks before I took the floor at the conference, we were also presented with an award.
Thus, the Basic Needs Association (TİDER), which received the first innovation award in the history of the Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), the world’s largest food banking network, and subsequently earned the official membership certificate of the GFN as “Turkey’s umbrella organization,” was awarded the “World Food Day Award” by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Turkish Food Industry Employers’ Union (TÜGİS), and the Sustainability Academy as part of the Sustainable Food Conference. I received the award, presented at the event attended by national and international experts from the business world, the public sector, science, and civil society, from Vladimir Rakhmanin, Deputy Director General of the World Food and Agriculture Organization.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, TÜGİS, and FAO for considering us worthy of this award. Thank you.
I answered questions on the subject with the following information:
“Food waste is one of the world’s most pressing problems today. In Turkey, approximately 1.58% of people live below the hunger line, and 14.7% live below the poverty line. In contrast, almost one-third of the food produced for human consumption in our country is wasted. As the umbrella organization for food banking in Turkey, we are a non-governmental organization fighting against poverty and waste. Through the food banks we bring together on a single platform across the country—markets and soup kitchens—as well as non-governmental organizations and public institutions we collaborate with, we share food, cleaning products, and clothing with families on the poverty line.
With our recent membership in the Global FoodBanking Network and the innovation award we received last year, we have become a global thought leader in food banking. Following this award, we received the World Food Day Award, presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Turkish Food Industry Employers’ Union (TÜGİS), the Sustainability Academy, and the FAO, which was a special honor for us. Thanks to these awards and support, we continue to fight against poverty and waste.” We will continue to offer concrete and creative solutions in the fight.”
After receiving the morning award at the Sustainable Food Conference, at 2:00 PM, I joined the panel discussion entitled Managing Food Waste with a Zero Waste Goal, moderated by Dr. İrfan Demiryol, General Manager of Meta Functional Food. The other speaker was Alphan Eröztürk, ÇEVKO’s Public and External Relations Manager. In this panel, we discussed how we prevent waste and the work we do.
When we saw the organizer who had retrieved my forgotten laptop from the stage at the Social Good Summit, we immortalized the moment at the Sustainable Food Conference and this photo emerged:
About TİDER
For those who don’t yet have a clear understanding of TİDER’s work, I can offer the following summary:
The Basic Needs Association (TİDER) is a non-governmental organization that combats poverty and waste with a holistic model and produces concrete solutions by bringing a comprehensive perspective to food banking. TİDER shares usable food, cleaning products, and clothing saved from waste on the shelves of its ‘Support Markets’ with families on the brink of poverty. With its unique model, awarded by the Global Foodbanking Network, it helps families in need become self-supporting. It works with family members who want to work to help them find employment or start their own businesses. For other problems, it directs individuals to specialized NGOs and public institutions with which it collaborates, enabling them to access lasting solutions. Recognizing that the problems caused by poverty are not limited to a lack of basic necessities, TİDER is committed to expanding the benefits of food banking and expanding its reach in Turkey and, increasingly, globally.
We will continue to contribute to our country and the world in terms of sustainability. In my next article, I’ll share the details of my third conference, ‘Self-sufficient Buildings,’ which I held last week. For now, stay safe…s
Tag: business world
