Istanbul Medeniyet University participated in the “UN SDSN (United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network) Turkey Members and Stakeholders Meeting” hosted by Boğaziçi University. The event, held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, between 09:30 and 17:30 at the Albert Long Hall Building of Boğaziçi University South Campus, addressed SDSN Initiatives in Light of Current Developments. Following the opening speeches, current developments in Turkey in the field of sustainability were addressed with the presentation of Prof. Dr. Halil HASAR, Head of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Turkey. Afterwards, representatives from UNSDSN Global, Europe, Black Sea and Mediterranean regions provided information on current developments in each region. In the second session of the meeting; universities operating to contribute to sustainable development goals throughout Turkey shared their good practices and exchanged experiences. Our university was represented at the event by Ayça ÇELİKBİLEK, MSc. Research Assistant of the Sustainability Office.
ÇELİKBİLEK, who stated that we, as Istanbul Medeniyet University, attach importance to bringing the outputs of our scientific research and projects together with the society, classified the studies carried out by Istanbul Medeniyet University to contribute to sustainable development goals under four headings: research, education, operation and leadership. In her presentation, she explained with examples the efforts of our university to produce solutions to environmental problems with scientific research, to spread sustainability awareness with course content, to reduce resource use with environmentally friendly systems implemented on campus and to assume a leadership role with awareness activities aimed at the society.
Within the scope of contributions in the field of research, the presentation first introduced the bioplastic studies conducted in the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Laboratory operating within the Istanbul Medeniyet University Science and Advanced Technology Application and Research Center. ÇELİKBİLEK talked about bioplastics developed using natural materials such as sea lettuce, mucilage, hemp and market waste to produce environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastics for waste reduction in the laboratory. She provided information about the process of converting used organic materials into biodegradable products that can be used as an alternative to single-use plastics in the packaging industry by mixing them with polymers and solvents. ÇELİKBİLEK stated that another study conducted in this laboratory in recent years focused on silk fibroins, and that the project team produced highly durable, biodegradable lightweight aerogels and that this material could be used both as an insulation material and as a wound dressing. ÇELİKBİLEK, who stated that IMU attaches importance to each of our students, who will be the leaders and decision makers of the future, becoming aware of sustainable development goals and developing projects by thinking about these goals, talked about the “Green Project Competition” in which our students submitted project proposals for our campuses to be environmentally friendly campuses in the »Medeniyet Olympics» organized by our university since 2024. She conveyed the information that our students who produced ideas and developed projects in this field were rewarded and that some of the proposed projects were planned to be put into practice.
Within the scope of studies in the field of education, it was stated that 14% of the courses given at our university contain content directly or indirectly related to sustainable development goals (SDGs) and in this respect, our courses also have the characteristics of sustainable development education. It was stated that students are informed about SDGs with the “5 Minutes for Sustainability” application carried out simultaneously in all academic units within the scope of Sustainability Week Activities held every December. In addition, it was stated that our university accepts health personnel from countries such as Uganda, Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland as interns through the African Health Studies Application and Research Center (MASAM) and contributes to the professional development of these individuals, thus supporting sustainable development on a global scale. It was also emphasized that our professors at our university perform important surgical operations on the African continent within the scope of this project and thus make significant contributions to the field of human health.
Under the heading operations; concrete environmental projects implemented throughout the campus were mentioned. It was emphasized that a multiple gray water recovery system was established in IMU Göztepe North Campus for the reuse of sink water in toilet flushes after it was purified, thus increasing water usage efficiency on the campus. It was also stated that on-site recycling was carried out with the Paper and Plastic Recycling Workshops established by our university’s Sustainability Student Club within the campus, thus minimizing energy consumption and carbon emissions in the logistics, storage, transformation and production stages of recycling processes. ÇELİKBİLEK stated that corporate waste is recycled in these workshops and corporate gifts such as bookmarks and calendars are produced, and that single-use PET bottles used in cafes and canteens on campus are also recycled in the plastic recycling workshop and used in the production of many gift products. She stated that play dough molds and various toys were produced in the PET workshops in the last three months and that these educational materials were sent to pre-school education classes in different parts of Turkey free of charge, thus contributed to the provision of equal opportunities in education.
It was reported that Istanbul Medeniyet University organizes comprehensive events to spread the culture of sustainable living in the field of leadership and awareness. It was stated that the Sustainability Week Events held every year in December include not only scientific presentations for educational purposes but also practical workshops, and that these events are open to external participation and are free of charge. It was stated that “Plastic-Free July” events are organized in July, drawing attention to the environmental pollution of single-use plastics and presenting environmentally friendly solution suggestions to participants to reduce plastic use. As one of the university’s biodiversity awareness studies, the BioBlitz workshops organized by the Sustainability Office in Validebağ Grove, a first-degree natural protected area, were introduced. ÇELİKBİLEK stated that in these workshops, living species in the grove were identified with the help of experts and biodiversity was recorded, and as a result of these studies launched in December 2021 and carried out with a citizen science approach, a total of 352 species were identified and 1,103 recorded observations were made by 2025. She stated that during the workshops, participants were informed about the species and their characteristics observed, and that they aimed to establish a more conscious relationship with nature and thus develop conservation awareness.
After the presentation, ÇELİKBİLEK, who is also the academic advisor of IMU Sustainability Student Club (IMUSUS), presented the meeting participants with handmade bookmarks with seeds, produced from waste papers recycled in the on-site recycling workshops established by IMUSUS on our campus. This meaningful gift, which is a creative output of the on-site recycling approach, was highly appreciated both for reflecting the environmental sensitivity of our university with a concrete example and for creating awareness among the participants.
Istanbul Medeniyet University had the opportunity to share its multi-dimensional studies in the field of sustainability at the national level and to gain insight into other good examples by participating in the UN SDSN Turkey Members and Stakeholders Meeting. Our university prioritizes transferring the knowledge it produces through scientific research and projects to the society, and once again demonstrated that it continues to develop effective practices not only in academic production but also in the fields of leadership, awareness and social responsibility. In line with this approach, it emphasized that it continues its contributions to sustainable development goals with a holistic vision.
