9.5 Green volunteering, production and consumption
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Green volunteering
Under the National Youth and Sports Policy Document, the goal is to spread love for nature among young people and increase the number of activities held in nature. To achieve this goal, the following objectives have been accepted and implemented:
- Conducting work to create and develop environmental awareness among young people by promoting nature sports.
- Ensuring the creation of environmental education parks where young people can be in touch with nature, spend time outdoors, and develop a love for nature.
- Organizing activities in youth centers, youth camps, and youth-oriented projects to allow young people to get to know nature and spend time in it.
- Increasing the number of youth nature camps to ensure that more young people benefit from them.
- Promoting activities such as scouting, mountaineering, cycling, skiing, orienteering, etc.
Green Skills Volunteering Camp:
The Ministry of Youth and Sports organized the "Green Skills Volunteering Camp" from May 6-8 and May 9-11, 2022, in youth centers to raise awareness on nature. A total of 4,000 volunteer youth participated in environmental-themed activities across 11 youth camps.
Tent Camps:
To allow young people to spend more time in nature, develop a sense of responsibility toward the environment, and gain awareness about environmental issues, the Ministry of Youth and Sports organizes tent camps. In these camps, training on tent setup, survival skills in nature, ecological diversity, and balance is provided, and various activities like nature walks and teamwork exercises are conducted.
Within the scope of volunteering projects under the European Solidarity Corps, the aim is to offer young people opportunities to take part in solidarity activities that contribute to the daily work of participating organizations, ultimately benefiting the communities in which the activities are carried out. Volunteering is a full-time, unpaid activity with a duration of up to 12 months. This solidarity activity is carried out through participating organizations that offer young people the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities in a structured way.
The scope of volunteering projects is broad, covering areas such as environmental protection, climate change mitigation, and greater social inclusion. Environmental Protection, Sustainable Development, and Climate Action are key priorities for volunteering projects. These projects aim to promote environmentally sustainable and responsible behavior among participants, raising awareness about the importance of acting to reduce or compensate for the environmental footprint of activities. Volunteering activities should be designed and implemented with environmental consciousness, integrating sustainable practices such as reducing waste, recycling, and using sustainable means of transportation.
Green production and consumption
In the 2024-2028 Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey, a strategy has been adopted to support organic farming and good agricultural practices, aiming to protect the environment, human and animal health, and ensure food and feed safety. The plan also emphasizes supporting small-scale fishing enterprises to ensure their economic sustainability and minimize their negative environmental impacts. Additionally, the document aims to meet the needs of producers using environmentally sensitive and efficient technologies.
In the 2023 Performance Program of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the goal has been set to ensure food/feed safety from production to consumption, take necessary measures for plant and animal health and welfare, and adopt environmentally sensitive plant health measures in agricultural production.
The 2024-2028 Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Industry and Technology also targets supporting various initiatives to facilitate the transformation of the manufacturing industry into an environmentally and socially responsible sector.
The program titled "Recycled Art," broadcasted on TRT 2, addresses the issue of rapid production and consumption, where waste is not recycled at the same pace. It focuses on artists working with "trash" (waste materials) to create artistic designs and works, bringing attention to the concept of recycling art.
One of the four priorities set by the European Commission for the Erasmus+ Program, which is managed by the Turkish National Agency, is combating environmental issues and climate change. In this context, funded projects and activities aim to support the fight against climate change and sustainable development. The focus is on raising awareness and providing information about these topics, promoting environmentally friendly behaviors and attitudes (such as resource conservation, reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste and carbon footprints, and encouraging the use of sustainable food options and transportation).