Green Transformation’s Heart Beats at Birgi: SENTRUM Birgi Practice Center Opened
SENTRUM Project supports local development in the historical Birgi village in Izmir and the newly opened Practice Center in the village will be the epicenter of all the works conducted to enable sustainable transformation at the destination. Works to be coordinated here will pioneer the transformation of Birgi by creating difference in numerous fields, such as energy efficiency, empowerment of women and youth, conservation of cultural heritage, and raising awareness about climate change.
The opening ceremony of SENTRUM Birgi Practice Center was held at Birgi with the attendance of Murat Pınar, CEO of Enerjisa Enerji, Monica Merino, UNDP Türkiye Resident Representative, Fatih Aksoy, District Governor of Ödemiş, Cumhur Şener, Mayor of Ödemiş, and many residents. Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, TGA Deputy Director General, also sent a video message for the ceremony. The social, environmental, and economic impacts of the project were evaluated during the ceremony while works conducted so far and targets for the future were disclosed to the public. With the opening of the Practice Center, a new dimension was opened for sustainable tourism efforts initiated at Birgi as part of the SENTRUM Project with the supports of Sabancı University, HiltonSA Hotels, and Sabancı Foundation and with the local partners of the project, namely Ödemiş District Governorship and Ödemiş Municipality.
Sustainable tourism works conducted at Birgi will now be guided at the Practice Center, and all green transformation works conducted with a focus on local heritage in the region will become more permanent, more accessible, and more visible thanks to this center.
The developed sustainable tourism model promotes tourism activities throughout all four seasons
The works carried out at Birgi as part of SENTRUM Project support Birgi’s transformation into a sustainable tourism model in line with the criteria of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Birgi continues to get stronger with this transformation in environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic terms.
As such, training programs and workshops were organized to bring forth local values with the works conducted up until today. A total of 1,000 people, consisting of representatives of tourism businesses, women, young people, and children, participated in 21 different training programs. Extensive meetings were held with the participation of local actors under the titles of sustainable tourism, gender equality, and compliance with global standards.
Murat Pınar: “We will continue to create inspiring success stories”
Making a speech during the opening ceremony of the Practice Center, Murat Pınar, CEO at Enerjisa Enerji, said; “As Enerjisa Enerji, we continue to pioneer energy transformation in Türkiye and to set an example for the entire world with our sustainability works with the goal of ‘A Better Future.’ We showed that our success is not a coincidence by repeating the success story we previously created at Küçükköy, Ayvalık, at the historical Birgi village in Izmir. We will speed up our activities at the Practice Center we just opened, and we will expand our works to masses. We will continue to create success stories which inspire the entire world in this area while we transform Birgi into a sustainable ‘green destination’ at which tourism extends to all four seasons.”
Monica Merino: “We advocate a tourism approach that centers on sustainability and social welfare”
Monica Merino, the UNDP Türkiye Resident Representative, made a speech during the opening ceremony of Birgi Practice Center and stated, “At UNDP, we advocate a novel approach in the area of tourism; an approach that centers on sustainability and social welfare. The SENTRUM Project embodies this vision and aims to build sustainable and habitable destinations for local communities. The new center we are opening today will be home to community training, workshops, family-friendly visitor services, and sustainability initiatives. Birgi continues its steady progression on the road of becoming a recognized green destination by showing how sustainable principles can be integrated into the development of local tourism.”
Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu: “SENTRUM Project is a pioneering project which carries our sustainable development vision into the field”
Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, Deputy Director General at TGA, said; “SENTRUM Project is a pioneering project which carries our sustainable development vision into the field. SENTRUM Birgi Office we opened today is the local practice center for this vision. Being an important meeting point for women, young people, children, and local businesses, this office will strengthen sustainable tourism in terms of awareness, education, and engagement. In the frame of national program we signed with GSTC, Türkiye has a leading position among the countries which guide the global standards in sustainable tourism. And SENTRUM will be one of the most powerful reflections of this transformation on a local scale.”
The journey of transformation in tourism from Küçükköy to Birgi
SENTRUM Project was first initiated at Küçükköy Neighborhood in Balıkesir. As part of this project, energy surveys were conducted at public buildings and solar energy systems were installed. Necmi Komili Elementary and Secondary School became both the pioneer and the role model in the project as the first “Net Zero Energy School” in Türkiye.
The second implementation point of the project was the historical Birgi village in Izmir. Cultural and production activities were conducted here for both infrastructure works based on energy efficiency and sustainable tourism. As part of the project, handcrafting and creativity works were conducted here such as Eko Print workshops, in which fabric dyeing techniques inspired by nature and gastronomy workshops under the guidance of Şerife Aksoy were held for women. Also, capacity development trainings were organized for local businesses regarding sustainability, GSTC criteria, and disaster awareness.
A sustainability story from local to global
With SENTRUM project, which was carried a step further with the opening of Birgi Practice Center, contributions are made not only in sustainable tourism, but also social transformation goals such as gender equality. Support is provided for active engagement of women in decision-making and implementation processes, and the aim is to ensure visitor flow to the region to extend throughout the year in a balanced manner with a sustainability-oriented tourism approach. As a significant milestone in the transformation of Birgi into a sustainable tourism destination, SENTRUM Practice Center will continue to support local development in the future with increased cooperations and interactions.
*For further details on Tourism Practices Based on Sustainable Energy Model (SENTRUM): www.sentrum.com.tr
About Enerjisa Enerji
Enerjisa Enerji, which pioneers the energy transformation in Türkiye by using the multiplier effect of sustainability and technology in line with its vision of ‘a better future for all,’ provides service to 26 percent of Türkiye in electricity distribution and retail, which are the main fields of activity of the company. Enerjisa Enerji, the prominent player in the industry, reaches 10.7 million customers in 14 provinces and provides electricity distribution services to more than 22 million users. While Enerjisa Enerji offers renewable energy, efficiency, and green energy solutions to its customers via its Energy of My Business brand, the company also operates the first and fastest charging station network in Türkiye with Eşarj, the company of which Enerjisa owns 100% of its shares. 20 percent of Enerjisa Enerji, whose main shareholders are Sabancı Holding and E.ON, is publicly traded in Borsa Istanbul.
About UNDP
UNDP has been establishing partnerships with people from all segments of the society for more than 50 years with the purpose of building communities that can endure crises and increasing and maintaining growth that would raise the level of quality of life. UNDP offers global perspective and local insights that would contribute to creating strong individuals and strong societies in 177 countries and regions in the field. For further details: www.undp.org/turkiye
About TGA
Founded in 2019, Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) is dedicated to delivering Türkiye as a brand and a popular destination in both domestic and international tourism markets; discover, develop and promote tangible and intangible natural, cultural, biological and manmade heritage assets; boost the tourism capacity of Türkiye, increase the rate of tourism investments in the national economy and raise the quality of service with short, medium and long-term communication and marketing activities. In line with tourism strategies and policies set by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Agency will carry out all promotion, marketing, and communication activities to serve Türkiye’s tourism goals, promote and market current tourism opportunities across the globe as well as discover, improve and establish potential areas of tourism.
KAPATMAK İÇİN (ESC)
Kapat
