I began my career teaching at the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. I went back to school and got my degree in mechanical engineering at age 36 and joined Truck Operations at Ford.After retirement I returned to Turkey where, working for the World Resources Institute, I founded EMBARQ Turkey: an NGO dedicated to urban transport (now WRI Ross Center Turkey). I served as advisor to the Smart Cities Department of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality through September 2022. Currently I serve as the Urban Affairs Editor and Livable Cities columnist for the journal EKOIQ. I am also a co-producer and co-host of “The City Belongs to Us” on MedyascopeTV, shaping informed debate on sustainable cities.
Ever since I saw the Blue Marble photo, I have been an advocate for a healthy planet. And my superpower, at age 73, is that I am still excited to be living and learning on this beautiful planet; and fighting to protect it. I am thrilled to be undertaking a new role as “science researcher” on the exxpedition, especially since plastic pollution is of particular interest to me.
Turkey is one of the largest importers of plastic waste, in amounts that exceed its capacity to recycle. And the UK is importing waste to a nation that doesn’t have the capacity to recycle it. The result is out of sight, out of mind for the UK. But for Turkey’s Adana region it is rivers, road sides and landfills with bales of plastic waste that is NOT going to be recycled.
The solution is twofold: nations receiving waste MUST verify their capacity to recycle the incoming waste. And exporting nations should only export waste to nations that have verified their capacity to recycle.
Here’s to fair winds and following seas as we embark upon our voyage.
