We are building eco-settlements
WHY ?
Among the most important problems of today, climate change, soil loss, destruction of natural habitats, pollution, disruption of natural balance and cycles, increase in natural disasters... The basis of all of these lies in the fact that we, as humanity, have adopted an unsustainable understanding of life. Most people are still unaware of the current situation. Because of our daily rush and priorities, we do not see the rapid change that is occurring in the nature of the world. However, extraordinary disasters are increasing day by day and people in many parts of the world, including our country, are affected. We have no time left, if we do not want to cause further damage to the functioning, balance and cycles of nature, we all have to do something together. If we cannot do this, life will become more difficult with each passing day and a major collapse that will affect us all will be inevitable.
If we want to leave a livable world to future generations, we need to transform into a sustainable understanding of life that preserves the balance and cycles of nature. We need successful examples that show that transformation is possible and can bring many benefits to all of us. Thanks to these examples, if an increasing number of people start to make an effort, the opportunities for transformation will increase together.
How?
There are various negative developments happening around us that we cannot control. But we can focus on things we can access that can benefit both ourselves and our environment. The small steps we take can enable big impacts and transformations over time and as an increasing number of people participate.
We can reach an increasing number of people by building exemplary eco-campuses of different scales that provide multiple benefits. Small ecoparks and community gardens to be established in cities; larger-scale ecoparks to be established on the edges of cities; Thanks to the eco farms and ecovillages to be established and/or transformed in the countryside, we plan to reach people both in the city and in the countryside, to support each other through the bonds that will be established and to transform together.
Our main theme in eco-settlements:
clean air + clean water + clean soil = clean food
Because these are issues that concern all of us, they are our sources of life. We briefly summarized what we did to the air, water and soil in the negative evidence. We focus on the positive things we can do in eco-compounds:
Knowing the Soil, Producing Vibrant and Fertile Soil
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Because thanks to the living soil, we can grow healthy, natural foods.
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Preventing erosion by protecting the soil because soil loss is one of the most serious problems.
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Increasing the vitality of the soil, increasing the water holding capacity by increasing the amount of organic matter: such soils are more resistant in dry seasons, they retain moisture for longer. Especially in sloping lands, by preventing the water from flowing away in precipitation and allowing it to be absorbed into the soil; to accumulate water in the soil and to slow down the speed of water. In this way, underground water resources begin to be fed, the groundwater level rises. Dried streams are revitalised.
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Burying carbon in the soil: Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and accumulate it in their stems. It is possible to carry out important and serious work against climate change by burying the carbon in the air in the soil through natural pastoralism or greening barren areas such as food forests. These activities have multiple benefits: soil protection, revitalisation, erosion prevention, water retention, providing people with various food and product sources and thus benefiting rural livelihoods,
Depending on the land area of the eco-compound, many sample applications can be shown:
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The basis of horticultural work is the creation of living soil. In the eco-compound gardens we create different types of soil to grow different plants. Gardeners get to know the soil - an important first step in learning the language of nature.
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We turn organic waste into compost, one of the most fertile soils. Waste from the eco-compound kitchen, mown grass, tree leaves and branches, plant waste from gardens, animal manure, etc. are combined to produce valuable 'compost', which contains all the nutrients plants need to grow.
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Composting with worms: Worms rapidly transform all kinds of waste into valuable fertiliser/soil within a few months. With small worm farms that can be set up at home, even on balconies, you can turn your kitchen waste into valuable soil for the plants you grow on your balcony.
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Revitalising the soil with leguminous grasses, producing new soil. Weak, degraded soils can be revitalised with leguminous plants such as clover, vetch, sainfoin, alfalfa, clover, chickpea, broad bean etc. Because leguminous grasses release nitrogen to the soil and nourish it, increase the amount of organic matter in the soil and loosen the soil. The soil of the areas covered with leguminous grasses and turned into pasture is revitalised within 5-6 years and new soil is formed.
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Revitalisation of large barren areas with food forest design: Inspired by the functioning of ecosystems in nature, it is the design of food forests that develop on their own without human influence and provide various benefits to humans. By combining various species in a mutually beneficial way, the soil is preserved, new soil is created, water is retained, plants thrive and provide people with a variety of products: fruit, nuts, wood/timber, healing...
The livelier the soil, the more vigorous, resilient and abundant the plants that grow in that soil. They are more resistant to diseases and insects - pests, for example, primarily infest weak plants. Resilient plants face fewer problems and there are natural solutions to potential problems. At Ekoyerleşkes, we protect the fertility of our gardens with our own natural solutions and explain and show these solutions to those who want to produce their own natural food.
Water retention
As unfavourable evidence, we showed that many regions of our country are under the influence of drought and that the drought will become more severe in the near future. Water retention will become more and more important day by day because we are now water poor.
We began to experience dry periods more frequently, starting from spring and continuing throughout the summer and sometimes until late autumn. At the same time, imbalances in rainfall have increased, sometimes we receive excessive rainfall.
During rainy times, it will be increasingly important to know and be able to keep the precipitation that falls on our land, on our building and around it, within our land. One of our first and most important jobs in our eco-campuses is to show examples of water retention:
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Large amounts of water can be collected from building roofs and surrounding areas during rainfall, filtered naturally and stored for use when needed.
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Waste gray water from buildings can be naturally filtered and stored to irrigate gardens.
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Thanks to soil revitalization works and some arrangements such as terraces and ditches on the land, it is possible to absorb most of the water falling on the land into the soil. The speed of water in the soil slows down very much and this water stays in the land soil for a much longer time and maintains the moisture of the soil.
Clean Food
'Industrial agriculture is essential to feed 7.5 billion people. We do not accept the misconception that 'without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, plants cannot grow and crops cannot be harvested'. On the contrary, killing the soil with these methods is like cutting off the branch we are sitting on. Access to clean food continues to be a growing problem for almost everyone – we just can't access it. Even herbs such as parsley and dill that we buy from markets contain chemical poison residues. Fruits such as apples, pears, cherries, etc. are sprayed dozens of times. The prices of organic products are 2-3 times higher, exceeding the purchasing power of most people. We lose our health by being condemned to consume foods containing chemical poisons.
We offer access to clean food in eco-compounds:
We all produce our own natural food in the community garden.
We show with examples how you can grow some of your food on your balcony, terrace, or even in a small area with soil; We provide training to help you gain knowledge and skills, and we carry out practices in our gardens.
In our ecocafe, we offer healthy, delicious menus prepared with natural products.
You can buy natural products for your home and kitchen at our natural products counter. We offer the products of our rural eco-compounds to you here at reasonable prices, without intermediaries. By purchasing these products, you support the livelihood of natural producers in the countryside. Thus, livelihood opportunities in rural areas are increasing - creating examples and opportunities for those who want to return from cities to rural areas and engage in such work.
By joining our clean food community, seasonal natural products can enter your kitchen every week. We bring you the products your kitchen needs from our rural producers. Bring your empty basket, take away the full one.
If an increasing number of people strive to have access to clean food alone and choose such products, multiple benefits will be achieved:
Natural, healthy food enters our kitchens at reasonable prices,
The financial cycle and success of eco-compounds are supported. The livelihood of eco-campus employees is ensured.
People involved in gardening:
You produce some natural food
You start to get to know the land and nature
Physical and mental health
The knowledge and ability to grow your own natural food is an advantage, especially in difficult times.
You experience helping others, working together, and sharing through common gardening activities. Thanks to common denominators, people from different layers can become friends.
Natural producers are supported in the countryside, and the livelihoods and opportunities of the rural people increase. Opportunities for rural migration and the establishment of new eco-settlements may increase.
Other examples and applications in eco-settlements:
Clean energy
We ensure that the energy we need in eco-settlements is met from clean, natural sources as much as possible, and we encourage others to use it in their own living spaces through examples.
Electricity generation from sun and wind: solar photovoltaic (PV) panels produce electricity from the sun. The investment in solar PV systems pays back in 7-8 years, and then you can even earn money by selling the excess electricity produced back to the grid. Electricity can be produced with wind turbines in windy regions. All electricity needs of Belentepe Farm are met by wind and solar. We also explain the installation of clean energy workshops and simple PV systems in eco-campuses.
Hot water production from the sun: Even in cloudy weather, we can obtain hot water thanks to solar collectors. This type of hot water production is common in our country, but it would be beneficial to expand it further.
Heating and cooling buildings with ground source heat pumps: Thanks to the pipes laid underground, we can heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer by using ground heat. We can heat up in winters for half the cost of heating with natural gas, and since we use soil heat instead of consuming fossil fuels, we create a solution against climate change.
Biogas production from kitchen and garden waste: we can fuel our kitchen stove with the biogas we produce from waste. Organic waste produces methane gas while fermenting in air-locked tanks, and we can store this methane gas and use it in furnaces.
Bulky compost piles produce heat. We can use this heat to obtain hot water or heat our greenhouses.
Natural Structures
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By using local and natural materials, low-cost natural structures can be built that are compatible with the local topography, are healthy and provide great savings in heating/cooling costs.
We are not condemned to reinforced concrete jungles. Concrete and iron are not the only building materials. We can build natural structures with natural resources from within and/or around our land. If there is more than 30% clay in the soil, adobe can be obtained. Sometimes layers of sand and lime can be found in the subsoil layers - for example, if such layers are encountered while excavating for a pond or building foundation, these materials are stacked in one place and used as construction materials. The stones extracted from the land can be used in stone walls, and the timber obtained from the trees can be used in the construction of wooden frame buildings. 'tadelakt', a natural wet floor plaster, can be used instead of tiles - both visually pleasing spaces and cheaper buildings can be built.
All of the buildings in the eco-campus are examples of 'natural structures'. We offer examples of creating pleasant living spaces, such as underground hobbit houses, geodesic domes, passive solar buildings, etc.
Recycle
We try not to produce waste in additional campuses. We recycle waste.
Kitchen organic waste, mowed grass, pruned branches and leaves are recycled as compost fertilizer and this fertilizer is used in plant beds.
The waste of other people and institutions around us can also be recycled.
Kitchen and toilet gray water is filtered and used as irrigation water in gardens.
Natural Greenhouse Cultivation
When we think of greenhouses, we should not only think of large nylon tent greenhouses. We can build effective greenhouses of different volumes. We show examples of these in eco-settlements.
It is possible to grow various greens throughout the winter with small nylon greenhouses that we will build on high plant beds. With the subsoil, walapini design, it is possible to keep the greenhouse warmer in winter by using soil heat. By installing greenhouses on the sunny southern facades of buildings, it is possible to heat the buildings with the heat of the greenhouse on sunny days in winter. With these methods, plants can be grown, buildings can be heated without the need for additional heat in winter, and costs are reduced.
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As the lands of eco-settlements grow, the examples that can be shown also increase. Important studies such as natural pasture cultivation and animal breeding, erosion prevention, soil revitalization in large areas, water retention in large ponds and food forest design can be carried out in larger areas. With these examples, there may be opportunities for other studies to make the local environment more fertile - eco-settlements serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the local.
