World Clean Up Day 2020

A warm hello to all the enthusiastic Tidy Turkers out there.

So many events – Back of Belgrade

It’s been a while.

Celebrating our good work with a meal after our first event ever on World Clean Up Day 2017

It’s been a crazy time for all of us.

Moda Clean Up 2019

The pandemic has altered our lives in many unpredictable ways. If you’d have told me I’d be spending 2020 in Australia , I wouldn’t have believed you.

Three events in different location for World Clean Up Day 2019

Some say many things have changed for the better. Less traffic, less pollution, less stress, time with loved ones. For others the opposite is true.

Belgrade Clean Up 2019

For me, travel internationally is off the cards. I was visiting family in Australia when COVID 19 hit and as we still have an international travel ban in place, I suspect I’ll be here for a while longer.

World Clean Up Day, Balat, 2019

In my absence, Alan Davies has kindly taken up the role of organising events. What a star! The next planned event will take place on beautiful Burgazada on September 26, 2020. Follow the link below to sign up on FB or head to Turkiye’yi Temizle/ Tidy Turkey FB page or Internations Changemaker page.

https://www.facebook.com/events/308711670222703

Also visit the blog below for further information on the day.

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/09/how-to-participate-in-world-clean-up-day/

Even on holiday on the Mediterranean

Happily, I’ve been able to keep my travelling spirit alive with road trip up the Queensland coast in a campervan. With little COVID 19 to speak of and national parks to camp at all the way, I’ve totally immersed myself in the natural world and made some wonderful new friends along the way.

Our joint event on Kinaliada with the UN Green Team 2018

However, one thing remains constant, trash remains trash and there’s still way too much of it polluting our lands and waterways. COVID 19 has exacerbated the use of single use plastics and disposable items. Masks, take away containers etc. etc.

Cleaning up BUPAWS at Bogazici University

Last weekend, I attended a clean up event organised by the local council here in Cairns, Far North Queensland. There seems to be many groups involved in clean up activities here. This coming weekend, I’ve counted no less than five events I could choose to participate in.

More fun and games at The Princes Islands

So, my message is as always. get out there. Even in these COVID times, you too can make a positive contribution to the health of our natural world. Join the Burgazada event or do a self styled clean up in your area with friends, family or co-workers. Be sure to include the wearing of masks and gloves, use sanitiser and socially distance. Be smart, make a plan and a difference on Clean Up The World Day 2020.

Tidy Turkey T-shirts available. Ask Alan how to get your hands on one!

#CoronaCleanUpTurkey

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Welcome, Tidy Turkers, to a new 2020 event and a brand new reality.

I’m still in Australia and the photos in this post come from the pristine Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula in my home state, South Australia.

Currently, my government has travel restrictions in place that don’t allow me to leave. Soon, I’m hoping, fingers crossed.

As many group members have understandably expressed concern regarding group clean ups, I thought we could begin our post COVID 19 clean up adventures in a way that allows for personal discretion when it comes to our next activity. #CoronaCleanUpTurkey can be done individually, in families or with small groups of friends as desired.

Members need to be mindful of their own health and take practical measures to ensure our activity is done safely. Obviously, consideration should be taken in the use of sturdy gloves, sanitiser and masks.

Some common trash items should also be avoided. Discarded gloves and masks are of course on this list.

#CoronaCleanUpTurkey

Instructions

Do a clean up in your chosen location once a week.

Take a photograph of yourself with your collection.

Post it on Instagram @tidy_turkey using the hashtag #CoronaCleanUpTurkey (make sure your Instagram account is unlocked.)

Each week for 4 weeks, commencing on World Environment Day 5/6/2020 all posts will go into the running to win a Tidy Turkey T-shirt for the best photograph. Hopefully, there will be other prizes also so make your posts creative and fun.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the results of this process. Obviously, the more people who participate the more fun the competitive process will be and of course, more garbage will be collected. I do however recognise that health and safety are paramount and everyone must follow their own judgement on this.

COVID 19 has meant we have largely forgotten about various issues whilst distracted and concerned by the virus and it’s ramifications. However, litter and pollution in our natural environments have not just disappeared. It’s time to focus once again and get back out there.

TUR

Tidy Turkers 2020’ye ve yepyeni bir gerçeğe hoş geldiniz.
Ben hala Avustralyadayım ve henüz Türkiyeye geri dönemiyorum.
Şu anda, Avustralya hükümeti seyahat kısıtlamalarından dolayı Avustralyadan ayrılmama izin vermiyor. En kısa zamanda Türkiyeye dönmeyi umut ediyorum.

Birçok grup üyesi grup temizliği ile ilgili endişelerini dile getirdiğinden, COVID 19 sonrası temizlik maceralarımıza kişisel ve küçük gurublar formatında devam etmemizin daha uygun olacağına karar verdim. Arzu edenler #CoronaCleanUpTurkey aktivitelerine şahsi olarak veya küçük gruplarla iştirak edebilir.

Üyeler kendi sağlıklarına dikkat etmeli ve faaliyetlerin güvenli bir şekilde yapılmasını sağlamak için pratik önlemler almalıdır. Açıkçası, sağlam eldiven, dezenfektan ve maske kullanımına dikkat edilmelidir. Bazı yaygın çöp öğelerinden de kaçınılmalıdır. Atılan eldivenler ve maskelerde elbette bu listededir.

#CoronaCleanUpTurkey Talimatları
Seçtiğiniz yerde haftada bir kez temizlik yapın.
Topladığınız çöpler ile kendi fotoğrafınızı çekin.
#CoronaCleanUpTurkey hashtagini kullanarak Instagram @tidy_turkey ile yayınlayın (Instagram hesabınızın herkese açık olduğundan emin olun.)
Dünya Çevre Günü olan 5/6/2020 tarihinden itibaren tüm yayınlar içinden en iyi fotoğraf Tidy Turkey Tişörtü kazanacak. Kazananları 4 hafta boyunca her hafta seçeceğiz. Başka ödüllerinde olacağını umut ediyorum, bu yüzden lütfen yazılarınızı yaratıcı ve eğlenceli hale getirin.

Bu sürecin sonuçlarını görmek için sabırsızlanıyorum. Açıkçası, ne kadar çok katılımcı olursa, rekabetin ve bu sürecin o kadar eğlenceli geçeceğine inanıyorum. Elbette sonuç olarak daha fazla çöp toplamış olacağız.
COVID-19 çevre ile çeşitli konuları büyük ölçüde unutmamıza ve dikkatimizin dağılmasına sebep oldu. Fakat doğadaki ve şehirlerimizdeki kirlilik ortadan kalkmadı, yok olmadı. Bir kez daha odaklanıp temizliğe geri dönme zamanı çoktan geldi.

Fishy Florya, World Clean Up roundup and something YOU can do.

Welcome Tidy Turkers, to another blog post.

Some of the Kinaliada Clean Up team

Guess what??? We’ve just celebrated 2 years of clean up action. Tidy Turkey was born two years ago on International World Clean Up Day and our group has just celebrated this event again, hosting 3 events in different locations around Istanbul.

Congratulations to us all. Take a moment to savor our good deeds and then get back in the saddle as there is no room for complacency.

Thank you Angela and Eylem for arranging the Balat World Clean Up Day event

There is so much going on around issues close to our group concerns that we need each and every one of us to step up and act. TIdy Turkey hopes to give every member a continuing opportunity to help yourselves, your families, friends and communities, to do something positive for ourselves and our planet, in what can seem a sea of negative news. To step away from the apathy. Yes, we are few and the problems are many but there is no denying that if no one does anything, nothing gets done.

Thanks, Sepi for your enthusiasm and arranging the Uskudar event.

In the news globally, conversations and community discussion and action on climate change and global warming are everywhere. Finally.
Unfortunately, in general there is still a lack of action by our community leaders and elected representatives to move towards change.

Happily, many businesses are starting to take the reins and look for sustainable solutions and business practices. They see that not to do so means going the way of the dinosaurs.
Clearly, we need a combination of government, business and community sourcing solutions and changing behaviour if we are to have any chance of maintaining this glorious planet in a state fit for living for our descendants and the myriad of non-human species, which, for so long have been the victims of our often thoughtless, uninformed behaviours.

Currently, there are several ongoing conversations taking place on our Tidy Turkey FB feed on topics such as how to reduce plastic waste, recycling and how to encourage shop owners to enforce the plastic bag charge and so help encourage consumers to bring their own reusable bags.
For Istanbul residents, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, has put out a survey aimed at gauging resident concerns for a new 5 year plan. I encourage you to take 5 minutes to fill it in and in no uncertain terms make garbage collection and recycling, enforcing legislated ‘green’ laws such as fines for polluting vulnerable, natural environments and the plastic bag legislation. And why not throw in requests for rubbish bins and water fountains to reduce the use of the dreadful, one use, plastic water bottles.

http://istanbulsenin.istanbul/en.html?fbclid=IwAR094dLuu8sU698bKhKrO9K_UCiltXNTsIW5p-3xr3V6VqyjqOuqQ8iL_Zs

Our next Clean UP event will take place from 1pm on Sunday, October 20th. For the first time we’ll be working our magic in Florya. Meet up at Aqua Florya Avm, seaside entrance outside Alaçatı Muhallebicisi Restauarant with a sun hat, sunscreen and a healthy optimism.

One of the original attendees of that inaugural event back in September 2017, Firas Fahker Addin, will be hosting this Clean Up, along with Ahmet Murat. Ahmet comes to us from Turkey’s environment group, Turmepa. Tidy Turkey welcomes all such collaborations. Thank you, Ahmet for making this happen.As usual, our wonderful members from Internation’s Changemakers group will also be joining us.

Contact details –

Firas – 90 5350439173

Ahmet – 90 5422162960

Please contact either of these two resourceful guys for further information or simply check the Tidy Turkey event page. If you want a TT T-shirt (50tl) please contct me directly. There should also be some available on the day.

Enjoy.

World Clean Up Day 2019

 

What a difference a couple of years make.
When I started this group in 2017, we were a small group of friends and a few interested Internations members, wanting to initiate some kind of action to promote a positive change to our environment and behaviours surrounding waste.

At this time, yes, conversations were happening between people and in the media about pollution, about garbage, about climate change and the environment, but nothing like what seems to be is occurring now.

Moda Sundowner Event August 2019

Maybe I am simply more informed and aware of these debates and discussions due to my involvement with Tidy Turkey, but I don’t think so.

Back of Belgrade 2019

2 years on from our first Clean Up event on Buyukada for World Clean Up Day 2017, we have held many more events and voices from around the world are joining forces to encourage and indeed demand recognition of the climate crisis we are all responsible for.

Belgrade Event March 2019

Tomorrow, 20/9/19, groups of people, from around the world, will strike from their workplaces and educational institutions to demand action from our elected representatives and global institutions. Young and old alike, will participate in this movement, spearheaded in 2018, by a then 15 year old girl from Sweden, Greta Thurberg. I hope that this is indicative of the beginning of a period toward meaningful change – in attitudes, in policy, in awareness.

For more Istanbul event information go to
İstanbul İklim Grevi
https://www.facebook.com/events/552266855579670/

Yesterday, I went to the Istanbul Biennale. It was a glorious early spring day, one which easily reminded me on how fortunate I am, indeed we all are, to live on this beautiful planet. And how timely that the Biennale, entitled The 7th Continent, has taken form, with reference to ‘ the huge island of plastic waste floating in the oceans, covering an area five times bigger than the surface of Turkey. Populated by plastic bags and cotton buds, but also fish and other creatures, and is the embodiment of the Anthropocene, a moment when the influence of human activities on the biosphere has become a major ‘geological’ force, wreaking a drastic effect on Earth.’
https://bienal.iksv.org/en/16th-istanbul-biennial/the-seventh-continent
https://www.trtworld.com/art-culture/istanbul-biennial-begins-featuring-the-island-of-trash-29732?fbclid=IwAR0geC7TO79PZRJW5o5peKTEvhTzL2Yrn1sZ83apwgOleFZuv7XmJ-dolcY

Tidy Turkey has three events happening this Saturday, on World Clean Up Day 2019. For events in other locations and Let’s Do It Turkey information take a look at the relevant FB pages linked via Tidy Turkey’s FB page.

Please forward your name and whatapp details to the relevant event hosts if you wish to be included in the whatapp group for your chosen event and bring bags, gloves and water, hat and sunscreen.

Location                    Contact person

Kinaliada                  Lucy Tooze                       +90 5319558796

Uskudar                    Sepinood  Nadjian          +90 5059984418

Balat.                         Angela Lane                     +90 5314535545
Read all about them at
https://www.dailysabah.com/expat-corner/2019/09/10/tidy-turkey-takes-on-world-cleanup-day?fbclid=iwar0czqzfl_nwrcrtaf5zaqyynbrlp33fzu-cylfkinm2hs6klk1lamoj2w0

T-shirts will be available at each event for 50tl.

You can sign up to any of these events ad learn more about them on the Tidy Turkey Facebook page or just show up to join other like-minded souls in being an active participant in creating positive change for our magnificent home, planet Earth, the only home we have.