Enerjisa, UNDP and Sabanci University join forces to create green destination model

Enerjisa Enerji, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Sabancı University today announced the results of 18 months of joint work in Ayvalık Küçükköy aimed at creating a “green destination model” for tourism based on energy efficiency, renewable energy and other sustainable practices. Building on TRY10 million in investment, the initiative conducted energy audits in small-scale tourism enterprises and public buildings, provided energy-efficient lighting and white goods to eight enterprises, installed solar power facilities and set up the village’s first fast electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Energy efficiency and renewables transformed Necmi Komili Primary and Secondary School and Küçükköy Culture Center into some of the first “net zero energy buildings” in Türkiye.

And the effort has yielded quantifiable benefits in the fight against climate change: energy-efficient technologies and practices have reduced coal consumption by 15,000 kg per year, and the use of renewable energy systems has prevented some 90,000 kg in annual carbon emissions.

All these efforts were the work of the Sustainable Energy Based Tourism Implementation Centre (SENTRUM) set up by the three partners in 2021 to showcase in a single focused location how the tourism sector could benefit from renewables and other sustainable practices.

18 months of tourism practices based on sustainable energy and their results were shared in a press conference with the participation of Güler Sabancı, Chairperson at Sabancı Holding and Chair of the Board of Trustees at Sabancı University, Kıvanç Zaimler, President at Sabancı Holding Energy Group and Chairperson of Board of Directors at Enerjisa Enerji, and Louisa Vinton, Resident Representative of the UNDP Turkey.

“Our SENTRUM project is a ‘triangle of success,’” said Güler Sabancı, Chair of the Board of Directors of Sabancı Holding and the Founding Board of Trustees of Sabancı University. “Through the cooperation of Enerjisa Enerji, UNDP and Sabancı University, we have not only helped transform Küçükköy but also created a scalable, replicable and sustainable tourism model that can become a success story for our country and the world. Ensuring the sustainability of the tourism sector is among Turkey’s national development priorities, and ‘Being a Pioneer in Sustainable Business’ is one of the five main strategies of the Sabancı Group."

“Küçükköy is just one of the thousands of the picture-postcard locations that make Türkiye such a hot tourist destination,” said Louisa Vinton, UNDP Resident Representative. “But with the growth of tourism comes the risk of environmental damage and increased energy use. This is why UNDP is so pleased to be collaborating to develop a model for green tourism that can ensure economic benefits for the country while protecting the planet upon which we depend.”

Kıvanç Zaimler, President at Sabancı Holding Energy Group and Chairperson of Board of Directors at Enerjisa Enerji, remarked, “Our mission at Enerjisa Enerji is to lead Turkey’s energy transformation and assume responsibility for a better future. We aim to create solutions that will enable us to reach sustainable development goals not only by our own resources, but also by engaging other stakeholders in the process. For that very reason, I find the SENTRUM project very valuable and meaningful which we launched last year in collaboration with UNDP and with the valuable contributions of Sabancı University.”

In developing the green destination model, the SENTRUM project catalogued the cultural and natural heritage of Küçükköy and its surroundings and developed roadmaps for green purchasing, sustainable transportation and sustainable production and consumption. A stocktaking was made of green destination standards in other countries to identify what could be adapted to Küçükköy. Nature- and energy-themed hiking and cycling routes were created.

Working with the Sabancı University Creative Technologies Atelier, SENTRUM organized trainings on energy efficiency, sustainable tourism, green destinations, waste management, climate change, and gender equality for 140 people from the local tourism sector. A Gender Equality Action Plan was followed to ensure participation by local women in all activities. And a SENTRUM Coordination Office was opened in Küçükköy to raise public awareness about sustainable energy and tourism and provide information to students, local residents and visitors.

Building on the Küçükköy experience, the partners in the “triangle of success” are discussing a second phase of the SENTRUM project to apply their lessons learned to other destinations.

​Click for the SENTRUM Green Destination Küçükköy Model Report.