Kokopelli Şehirde and Sustainable Cities

Kokopelli Şehirde, selected as a Change-Maker in the 15th Season of Sabancı Vakfı's Change-Makers Programme, supports ecological sustainability and resilient communities by promoting food waste transformation and local food production. Through its Regenerative Agriculture, Food Waste-Composting, Ecological School Gardens and Productive City Gardens programmes, Kokopelli Şehirde targets agricultural activities, biodiversity and climate crisis mitigation.

Kokopelli Şehirde, an ecological social enterprise selected as a Change-Maker in the 15th season of Sabancı Vakfı's Change-Makers Programme, shares sustainable and ecological living practices adaptable to daily life with both children and adults. Kokopelli Şehirde aims to inspire an ecological transformation that starts with individuals and spreads throughout society, living in harmony with nature for a more liveable world and healthier individuals. Through its work reaching nearly 5,000 people to date, the enterprise aims to contribute to reducing the advancing effects of the climate crisis.

Kokopelli Şehirde was founded in 2017 by elementary school friends Elif Oğuzbal Çatıkkaş and Yasemin Kırkağaçlıoğlu, who set out with the vision of promoting living in harmony with nature, enabling the growth of healthy individuals and creating a more liveable world. Working towards making cities, which are centres of production and consumption, more sustainable and self-sufficient, Elif and Yasemin first developed examples of all ecological practices that can be implemented in cities—such as rainwater harvesting, vegetable gardens and composting—at their centre in Istanbul Reşitpaşa.

At their centre in Gebze, where they have the opportunity to work on a larger area on topics such as plant systems, animal systems and composting, Elif and Yasemin began sharing their experience with people wishing to apply these practices in their homes, neighbourhoods or work areas.

To enable their work to continue on a wider scale, Elif Oğuzbal Çatıkkaş and Yasemin Kırkağaçlıoğlu established the Soil for Life Association and conduct practical training in the "Self-Sufficient School Gardens" project for teachers and students while carrying out school-based work. At the same time, they work in partnership with institutions to establish urban vegetable gardens within institutions and implement sustainable living workshops.

Nevgül Bilsel Safkan, General Director of Sabancı Vakfı, noting that Kokopelli Şehirde's ecological work demonstrates that such activities are possible in cities and provides inspiration, stated: "Today, sustainable food and self-sufficiency are among the most critical needs. In this regard, Kokopelli Şehirde creates a broad sphere of impact encompassing not only cities but also the future of our planet and individual health by promoting living in harmony with nature in cities, which are centres of production and consumption. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the heroes of this social enterprise launching an ecological transformation, dear Elif Oğuzbal Çatıkkaş and Yasemin Kırkağaçlıoğlu, for their valuable work. As Sabancı Vakfı, we feel great pride and joy in being part of this journey to ensure this transformation reaches wider audiences through the support we provide."