This
post is part of the BlogHer April NaBloPoMo - a month of blogging about topics
related to spring and the idea of "Fresh". I hope that you will follow along!
Which environmental cause is closest to your heart and why?
As an environmental
scientist, this question should be easy to answer - I should have a favorite
topic, right?
Academically I study
the effects of land-use change and climate change on nutrient-related water
quality in reservoirs. Not so
alluring…(or maybe it is? )
Global climate
change is a hot topic these days (pun intended) and scientists are falling over
themselves to publish papers about the possible effects of climate change on
crop yield, land cover, biodiversity, water resources, disease vectors and the
list goes on - think of a possible topic and most likely it can be related to
climate change. That is mostly due to
the fact that climate change will affect everything and everyone - no one can
hide from an altered atmosphere. While I
find climate change fascinating from an academic perspective, I am not so
impressed with the changes climate change research has made in the actual
world. For most the status quo has
remained fossil-fuel burning, waste inducing, material gluttony. I sadly think that the academic papers have
failed to make much progress in the realm of policy and action.
Therefore, if I
think about the issues that are truly aligned with my heart and my conscience,
the issues are more local and action-based, such as: sustainable and local
agriculture, reducing material consumption, and increasing resource efficiency. These are issues that I can act on in my
daily life. I can buy my produce from
local and organic sources, I can buy grass-fed beef and I can limit the amount
of food I waste by planning meals and using food creatively. I can find ways to buy less, or re-use
something I already have. These issues are more aligned with small lifestyle changes that overall can add up to a big impact over time.
I am still in the
early stages of learning about these issues in Turkey. In relation to my academic interests - I have
downloaded a few papers on water resources in Turkey, and projected impacts
from climate change - but I have yet to read them. Eventually, if I end up teaching in Turkey, I
will need to become an expert in this area…but it seems like I have plenty of
time for that.
Again, the more
everyday issues are the topics I gravitate towards while in Turkey. On my first trip I was fascinated to learn
that every apartment building had rows of water canisters attached to solar
panels. The water was passively heated
by running through the coils, the motion generated by gravity and physics.
While this passive heating system means that
you may not get a hot shower early in the morning, it does save a lot of energy
throughout the day when heating water is not needed. Amazing!
Why don't people use this technique in the States? Perhaps because it is outrageously expensive to try to outfit
your house with any of these passive heating technologies. I wonder why it cheaper in Turkey than the
States? Couldn't have anything to do
with politics. ;-)
|
Since every apartment has their own water heating system, this is what most Turkish rooftops look like. I would imagine that the messy appearance has something to do with why these are not more utilized in the States, even though they would save a lot of money and resources in the long run. Image from Leyla Arsan on Flickr |
I was also delighted
to learn that the local pazar (fruit and vegetable market) was not just a place
where the local hippies and environmentalists bought their weekly produce, but
that most everyone - young and old - stopped by the pazar in their local neighborhood
or village.
|
A young boy posing with his strawberries at the local pazar in Maras - which just happens to be on the street behind H.'s parents' apartment. Wow those strawberries look so good right about now! |
Another big
difference - you will not easily find thrift stores and "garage"
sales in Turkey. Used goods are not
common. "Wait" - you might be
thinking -" isn't it better for the environment to use used
goods?" In the US it sure is. Used clothes and furniture and household
goods are practically bursting from the doors of thrift stores, consignment
boutiques and every garage in suburbia USA.
We are a nation fascinated with stuff.
We buy it, don't like it and then get rid of it. This creates a lot of lightly used
goods. In the US I buy most of my
furniture, clothes and kitchen appliances used.
In Turkey this would not be the case.
Instead, most buy the best quality they can afford and then use it until
it doesn't work or wears out, if they need to get rid of something sooner it is
typically donated directly to a person who needs the item.
Another aspect is
food waste - it just doesn't happen in Turkey.
A chicken for dinner becomes broth for soup and rice, meat for the meal
and skin and bones for the street cats.
Produce is bought in season and frozen for use in later months, or
pickles and jams are made to preserve.
Plates are cleaned at meals, and if you can't eat that other piece of
baklava - it is saved for later. Food is
not thrown away; it is consumed by someone at some point.
If you imagine a
person buying most of their food from a local market, heating their water with
a passive solar heating, keeping the AC off in the summer, using what they buy
until it can't be used any longer, and not wasting a speck of food, in the US this
person would be labeled as an environmentalist or a liberal - something along
those lines. Yet, in Turkey, this is
common. I imagine that most Turks would
not consider themselves environmentally inclined. This is how they were raised, how their
children were raised, and hopefully this cycle will continue.
I still have a lot
to learn about environmental issues and attitudes in Turkey. Yet, from what I have learned so far,
environmentalism is perhaps more alive in Turkey than it is here in the States
(and they don't even know it!)
Which environmental issues are you passionate about?
Or let me know if I
am missing something here... I realize that I don't know anything about
environmental politics in Turkey - please share any resources that you may know
of in the comments below.