TANER AKSEL
Founder - Chairman of the Board
Born in 1968. He graduated from Istanbul Robert College in 1987. In 1991, I.T.U. After graduating from civil engineering department, he did his master's degree on 'Detection of Earthquake Behavior of Construction Structures' at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA between 1991-1993. He returned to Turkey in 1994 and established his own company and provided software development, training and consultancy services in the field of civil engineering. When he found similarities between the human behavior that led to the global economic crisis in 2008 and the earthquake behavior of buildings, he wrote the book 'Critical Threshold' to draw attention to climate change, after two years of research.
In 2010, she received permaculture training from Bill Mollison and received a 'Permaculture Design Certificate'. By applying the principles of permaculture, he first transformed the garden of his house in Beykoz, Istanbul into a more efficient form that produces its own food using natural methods. Then he realized the permaculture design of his 14-decare land in Bursa Uludağ and established the Belentepe Permaculture Practice and Wildlife Farm. Belentepe Farm became a laboratory and sample application area. Taner Aksel teaches sustainable living and 'Design with Nature' training in Belentepe . The farm welcomes hundreds of visitors every year. These studies also attracted the attention of the media and continue to be the subjects of documentaries, magazines and radio.
His areas of expertise are the generation of electricity from the sun and wind, the heating/cooling of buildings using heat pumps and the heat of the soil, the use of waste oil as fuel in vehicles, the design of earthquake-resistant structures - especially geodesic dome structures, natural building materials, passive solar structure design, etc.
%20copy.jpg)
METİN KALKAVAN
Founder - Chairman of Board of Trustees
Born in 1959 in the Iyidere district of Rize, Metin Kalkavan graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration in 1982. He completed his master's degree in Maritime Business and Finance from the University of Plymouth in England.
2002-2018 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of IMEAK DTO,
2008-2019 -Piri Reis University Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees,
2009-2017- He was the President of Çaykur Rizespor Club.
He is still the Chairman of the Executive Board of Turkon Holding A.Ş and Sedef Shipyard A.Ş. He is also the chairman of the board of directors in 7 different companies.
He is married and has 4 children.
EBRU DEBBAĞ
Founder
After graduating from 1987 Robert College and 1991 İTÜ Textile Engineering, he completed the Business Administration program at Istanbul University.
In 2012, he structured projects related to water consumption and social inequality in the sector, and cooperated with UN and UNCEF. Singularity University Administrative Program which she joined in 2016 became an important change point in her life and started working on developing business models that will be meaningful for the 21st century.
Since 2017, he has been carrying out the international sales, marketing and sustainability operations of Pakistan-based Soorty company, which provides services from cotton to finished products with 27 thousand employees in the denim sector.
After working as a senior manager at Orta Anadolu for 25 years, he founded his own consultancy company Indigofriends.
Ebru Debbağ, known as the creative change leader in the fashion industry; Combining 30 years of industry experience and developing technologies, it aims to activate sustainable development tools in the fields of strategic structuring, developing different markets, and platform structuring.
Ebru describes herself as an international citizen, travels frequently for work, gives speeches at sustainability platforms in Europe and the USA, and continues to raise awareness about the environmental and social impacts of fashion. She regularly practices yoga and looks to the future with hope.
NEVRA AKIN OKTAY
Founder
Born in 1977, married and mother of 2 children. He graduated from Oxford Brookes University, Faculty of Business Administration, England, and completed his master's degree in Press and Advertising at the University of Leicester.
He worked as a brand manager in international advertising agencies in Turkey for 15 years. He worked in public relations, portfolio management, team management.
Between 2004 and 2009, he designed and manufactured bags and shoes and managed the processes of merchandising and branding in Turkey.
He received Permaculture Design Certificate in 2017. Since then, he has been working on sustainability issues. He founded a food community called ÖTGA (Ömerli Clean Food Network) of 180 people in Ömerli, Çekmeköy, Istanbul, where he lives. It has been providing a clean food supply every week since 2018. It tries to support producers and consumers by creating a clean producer inventory in Turkey and monitors the processes.
Co-founder of the Permaculture Designers Association. Gardening, trees, plants, ecological trainings, ecological structures, relationship management, yoga, organizations are areas of success and curiosity. Very impatient and eager to save the world as soon as possible.
MURAT GÖKDERE
Founder
He has experience in marketing, project development and management stages in Information Technologies, Agriculture, Food & Beverage, Finance and Telecommunication sectors for 18 years. He started his corporate life as an analyst and then continues as a manager and entrepreneur. He is the partner of the company, which has been carrying out agricultural activities for the last 8 years.
* Fuga Tarım Ltd. Sti., an Istanbul-based company for agricultural production and processing of agricultural products, has gardens in Manisa.
* BBF Partners AG. He worked for the implementation and development of the business plan of the foreign capital company, which was established in 2003 for investment consultancy and management in Turkey.
* He was the founder and member of the board of directors of Ton-Ko Communication Services AŞ, an Istanbul-based company. Ton-Ko is the company that designed Turkey's first new generation fiber optic network and was established to operate this telecom network as an operator.
He has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
NEVRA AKIN OKTAY
Founder
Born in 1977, married and mother of 2 children. He graduated from Oxford Brookes University, Faculty of Business Administration, England, and completed his master's degree in Press and Advertising at the University of Leicester.
He worked as a brand manager in international advertising agencies in Turkey for 15 years. He worked in public relations, portfolio management, team management.
Between 2004 and 2009, he designed and manufactured bags and shoes and managed the processes of merchandising and branding in Turkey.
He received Permaculture Design Certificate in 2017. Since then, he has been working on sustainability issues. He founded a food community called ÖTGA (Ömerli Clean Food Network) of 180 people in Ömerli, Çekmeköy, Istanbul, where he lives. It has been providing a clean food supply every week since 2018. It tries to support producers and consumers by creating a clean producer inventory in Turkey and monitors the processes.
Co-founder of the Permaculture Designers Association. Gardening, trees, plants, ecological trainings, ecological structures, relationship management, yoga, organizations are areas of success and curiosity. Very impatient and eager to save the world as soon as possible.
DR. LIGHT SHIELD
Founder
He was born in Istanbul and graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1984. He is still working as an occupational physician in a private company.
He is studying Agriculture as a Second University and is also a first aid instructor. He works voluntarily in various associations and organizations.
She is married and mother of 4 children.
DR. LIGHT SHIELD
Founder
He was born in Istanbul and graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1984. He is still working as an occupational physician in a private company.
He is studying Agriculture as a Second University and is also a first aid instructor. He works voluntarily in various associations and organizations.
She is married and mother of 4 children.
DR. LIGHT SHIELD
Founder
He was born in Istanbul and graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1984. He is still working as an occupational physician in a private company.
He is studying Agriculture as a Second University and is also a first aid instructor. He works voluntarily in various associations and organizations.
She is married and mother of 4 children.
DR. LIGHT SHIELD
Founder
He was born in Istanbul and graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1984. He is still working as an occupational physician in a private company.
He is studying Agriculture as a Second University and is also a first aid instructor. He works voluntarily in various associations and organizations.
She is married and mother of 4 children.
EBRU ELDEM GÖKDERE
Founder
After graduating from Robert College in 1987; 1992 from Istanbul University Faculty of Law; In 1995, he completed his master's degree at Harvard Law School LL.M. degree. He has been practicing law for more than 25 years, including at Birsel Law Firm, White&Case, Ticaret Menkul Değerler and finally Eldem Law Firm.
His love for nature and the natural has gained a new meaning with the agriculture and olive growing journey he started in Manisa with his wife Murat in 2011. His interest in permaculture through his school friend Taner Aksel and Belentepe;_cc781905-5cde- Thanks to her daughter 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_, her sensitivity to climate change is increasing day by day. Desires to contribute to these issues as much as possible under the umbrella of the Foundation.
CETIN OZDAMAR
Founder
He was born in 1978 in Eskişehir. He graduated from Dokuz Eylul University Buca Education Faculty Biology Teaching Department in 1999.
After graduation, he worked as a teacher and founder representative in various private education institutions.
He has been teaching Biology at Izmir Private Saint Joseph French High School since 2016.
During her university years, she worked for the Caretta caretta sea turtle conservation project supported by the World Bank and the Ministry of Environment for 4 years.
In 2017, she received the introductory training in Permaculture from Taner Aksel and the Permaculture Design certificate from the Permaculture Research Institute of Turkey in the same year.
In 2017, he founded the "Sustainable Life and Permaculture Club" at Izmir Saint Joseph High School. He started to give training to his students in this field.
In 2019, with the support of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, he implemented the “Sustainable Living Garden for Children” project.
With this project, he contributed to the organization of activities and workshops for children on topics such as compost, the benefits of high plant beds, sister plants, mulching in order for children growing up in an urban environment to connect with nature and touch the soil.
SEVCAN SANVER
Founder
Sevcan Sanver has visited all corners of Anatolia with her family since she was 4 years old and met with Yoga as an Eastern teaching at the age of 11 thanks to Esen Gürel. He started rock climbing at the age of 14 and outdoor sports at the age of 18.
He graduated from Hacettepe University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Graphics Department. He worked as a project coordinator in the documentary programs Land of the Clouds, Witness of Time, and also worked as an expert and manager in private companies.
After years of taking a break from outdoor sports and Yoga, she continued Yoga with the support and encouragement of Viket Civre and Kami Sinan Anadol, who was inspired by it. He had the chance to experience different styles from different yoga instructors.
She completed her instructor training at Agama Yoga Thailand in March-April 2016.
In September-October 2016, she did Yoga exercises with immigrants and refugees in France and Belgium. In November of the same year, he met with the healing meridians of the human body with the Thai Yoga Massage training.
In January-February 2017, she continued to receive training on Yoga Therapy, Ayurveda and ancient yoga teachings at Agama Yoga Thailand, and taught as an assistant instructor at the same school.
In February 2019, she completed yoga as a science, ayuvedic dosha identification, hormonal change and balance in individuals, advanced traditional asana, breathing and meditation leadership training at the Rishikes Patanjali Yoga Foundation, India.
In 2018, she received Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) training from Taner Aksel. He took part in voluntary work in the training and production of Belentepe Permaculture and Application Farm.
She continues to give private and group yoga classes.
DR. LIGHT SHIELD
Founder
He was born in Istanbul and graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1984. He is still working as an occupational physician in a private company.
He is studying Agriculture as a Second University and is also a first aid instructor. He works voluntarily in various associations and organizations.
She is married and mother of 4 children.
CIHAN SANVER
Founder
He was born in 1982 in Izmir. While he was a student at Istanbul Bilgi University, Department of Stage and Performing Arts Management, he started his business life and worked in concert organizations and restaurant management.
He has been the representative of Italian yarn companies in Sanver Tekstil, of which he has been a partner since 2010. Since the age of 6, sports have been a big part of his life and he still has an endless interest in nature sports.
He does mountaineering and orienteering under license under various clubs.
Directing her interest in nature towards sustainable life, she completed Taner Aksel's Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) training in 2018.
AYŞE MELDA KIR
Founder
Born in 1977 Istanbul, mother of a child. He graduated from Uludag University, Faculty of Economics, Department of Economics in 2001, and after working for a while in the Istanbul Stock Exchange, he entered the insurance industry for seventeen years, starting from his field experience and working in various management positions, including technical departments. In this process, he continued his professional development by receiving trainings on competition, marketing-sales, communication skills, etc., and left the sector in 2018, working in the positions of "Technical Operations Manager" and "Agency Manager" in the last 10 years.
For the last two years, he has been working as a mid-level manager in a consultancy firm, in the management of internal administrative and financial organizations and in various projects.
As someone who has devoted himself to works that will benefit society since his university years; He has pioneered many organizations such as sheltering and protecting stray animals, eliminating the deficiencies of village schools in need, and has undertaken various tasks on a voluntary basis.
Since his youth, he has been interested in philosophy, psychology, parapsychology, breathing therapies, yoga, astrology, healing techniques and energy studies; He carries out various studies in the fields of human relations, communication and organization. He is positive, full of hope and always believes that there are good things to do and likes to contribute in every field he is in.
Belentepe Permaculture Practice and Wildlife Farm Founder Taner Aksel's "Design with Nature Course" in 2019 and "Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC)" at the end of the training in March 2020; has taken the steps to a sustainable life with the teachings of nature, abundance and abundance.
VEHBİ CANITEZ
Founder
He was born in the town of Çiftlik in Kayseri in 1966(in the census records 1965). After completing my primary education here, I completed my secondary and high school education at Mimarsinan Teacher High School as a free boarding student. In 1988, you graduated from Erciyes University Engineering Faculty Mechanical Engineering Department of Energy. He continues his business life by carrying out projects and contracting works on the installation of heating, cooling and ventilation systems in buildings with the companies he founded and partnered At the same time, it provides consultancy services on mechanical works in many large-scale projects.
He met and trained with Taner Aksel and Permaculture in 2019. He implemented projects that reduce carbon emissions by prioritizing energy efficiency, use fossil fuels as little as possible, use water resources at a minimum level, and reuse (grey water) with recycling. The first Leed Gold in Turkey certified (University Office building) building is an example of this.
These criteria are in line with our foundation's principle of reducing the harm done to nature by human hands, and also produces its own energy (with the Trigenrration system) in accordance with the principle of self-sufficiency and providing multiple benefits. It is an example of a project application that reduces the damage to nature by using its energy (using hot water production and cooling with Absorption chillers).
On the other hand, he decided to take part in the establishment and services of the Permatürk foundation in order to contribute to the balance of the deteriorated nature. At this stage, he started to work on the infrastructure to farm in the ancestral lands in line with the principles of Permaculture.
It is among my first goals to contribute to the improvement of nature with exponential increase by raising the awareness of my environment on this issue and taking their contribution.
HUNTING. DR. ENDER OZEKE
Founder
Born in 1969. He graduated from Istanbul Robert College in 1987. After graduating from Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 1991, he started working as a lawyer. He completed his master's degree at Vrije Universiteit Brussels in 1995. He received his PhD in Administrative Law from Istanbul University in 2004. Between 2008-2015, he lectured on Administrative Law at Yeditepe University Faculty of Law. He is fluent in English as well as German at the beginner level.
Currently, NKS Danışmanlık A.Ş. provides strategic consultancy services as an independent consultant on a wide range of issues through
He is involved in various agricultural enterprises in Bursa, Mudanya and Tokat, Niksar. He also serves as a member of the board of directors in various organizations and non-profit non-governmental organizations.
ECE AKSEL
Founder
Ece Aksel was born in 1969 in Mersin. After graduating from Boğaziçi University, Faculty of Business Administration in 1990, he completed his BA at Ohio State University de MBA.
He took his first step into his career in 1992 as Assistant Brand Manager at P&G America's Headquarters in Cincinnati.
He returned to P&G Turkey in 1995 and worked at different levels in the field of Marketing in various categories until 2001.
Between 2001 and 2004, he managed the Moroccan and Algerian business units as Marketing Director at P&G Maghreb.
He joined PepsiCo in November 2004 as Senior Marketing Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
In July 2007, he was appointed as the Senior Commercial Director of Frito-Lay Turkey (PepsiCo Food). Following this, between August 2008 and December 2013, he assumed the role of the General Manager of Frito-Lay Turkey.
Between January 2014 and November 2019, he served as the Eastern European Food Category and Senior Vice President and General Manager.
Ece Aksel is currently continuing her career as PepsiCo Turkey Senior Vice President and General Manager.
Ece Aksel is married and has a 21-year-old daughter.
JENNIFER MAUDE SENER
Founder
He was born in Lyon, France in 1972. He completed his secondary education at the American School of Paris in 1990. He graduated from Sweet Briar College, USA in 1993 with BS degrees in Biology and Chemistry. 1993-1995 She taught English in Japan as part of the Japan Teacher Exchange Program. She received her Master's Degree in Environmental Management from the USA in 1997, with a specialization in Risk Assessment and Ecotoxicology. He got it from Duke University.
He moved to Istanbul in 1997. He worked on environmental assessment analyzes at a consultancy company between 1998-2000. He served as an ISO9000 and ISO14000 auditor in the field of quality assurance services between 2000 and 2009. He has been working in the education sector since 2010.
As a result of his graduate studies on environmental risk and ecological pollution, he has always been interested in climate change and sustainability. Following the Permaculture Design Course she took in 2020, she started working on ecological agriculture at her family's farm in Samsun Bafra. Sustainable life and ecological richness based agriculture His field of interest is the studies in which the subjects will be taught at the kindergarten level with special stories and a subject-specific curriculum.
MURAT SENER
Founder
He was born in 1969 in Samsun. He graduated from Istanbul American Robert High School in 1987, and from I.T.Ü in 1991. He graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering. USA He carried out postgraduate studies in the fields of Structural Mechanics and Earthquake Engineering at Duke University. He received his master's degree in 1993 and his doctorate of science in 1997 from this university. 1997 - Between 2011, he worked as a manager in companies within the Turkish Construction Sector. 2012, he took over the family company and restructured it, and started to operate as an entrepreneur within the Turkish Construction Materials Industry.
Murat Şener, whose family is a farmer by his parents, has family knowledge and experience in agricultural production, and his close friend Taner Aksel's work on sustainable living and ecological agriculture has fundamentally changed Murat Şener's view of agriculture and food quality. In this context, they decided to carry out Permaculture-based Agroecological farming activities with their family on their farm in Samsun, which has been owned by their family for four generations. Along with the soil cleaning and strengthening process on their farm, ecological product cultivation studies continue.
DEMET OLESEN
Founder
Born in 1969. He is a 1987 graduate of Istanbul Robert College. After graduating from Boğaziçi Industrial Engineering Department in 1991, he received a bachelor's degree in business and management from West Georgia University.
Since 1997 he has worked in various management areas in the pharmaceutical industry in England, Denmark, Turkey, Switzerland and the USA.
While leaving the company life in 2020 and continuing to work as a consultant, she received Permaculture initial training from Taner Aksel. He joined the founding members of Permatürk because he believed that the best solution to climate change and other problems we experience would be by contributing to the soil.
LEVENT KURNAZ
Founder
Born in 1965 in Istanbul, he received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Boğaziçi University in 1988 and in Electrical Engineering and Physics in 1990. He received a master's degree in physics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991 and a doctorate in physics in 1994.
Until 1997, he conducted research on cleaning up oil spills in the chemistry department of Tulane University, New Orleans. In 1997, he started to work as a faculty member in the Physics Department of Boğaziçi University.
He has been working as the director of the Climate Change and Policies Application and Research Center since 2014.
He is also a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network Turkey Board of Directors and conducts research in the field of urban sustainability as well as climate change.
LIGHT IN THE MACHINE
Founder
He was born in 1962. 1997 Gazi University Preschool Education Department graduated. He works in the field of Preschool and writes children's books .
He has adopted Alternative Education and Nature-based approach in the institutions he worked for, and has carried out and participated in many garden projects.
In addition, Türçev 2018 Forest Program in Schools, Eco Schools, – Tema Foundation - Tiny Theme Programs - Bahçeşehir Kindergarten as practitioner in these programs ._cc-781905-5c 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
2It was given to PDC by Taner Aksel in 020 added. He carries out garden design and applications in this field. Yil Lider Okulları2020-5cf58d_ -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_- Level 3 - Forest School Leader (Open Awards Level /England) – participated in the certificate program.
In the same year, Bahçeşehir Kindergarten carried out “Garden Design and Application” studies in cooperation with students, teachers and parents within the scope of “Living in harmony with nature” – and it continues to work in this area.
GULÇIN AKCAKAYA EŞMELİ
Founder
He was born in 1970 in Istanbul. He graduated from Istanbul University Press and Broadcasting High School in 1991. After working in the fields of sales, marketing and marketing communication in national and international companies between 1993 and 2016, he said goodbye to his professional career.
In 2010, her interest in healthy nutrition and raising children during the period she had children led to her awareness that food should be evaluated together with seeds, farming style, processing methods, environment and climatic conditions. He became acquainted with Permaculture practices during his research on food safety and received the "Permaculture Design Certificate" in 2017.
Gülçin Akçakaya Eşmeli, who believes in the power of acting together to create more effective benefits and value in food and environmental issues, carries out active studies on the development of food cooperatives, rural and urban food networks, and undertakes voluntary tasks in food communities.
In addition to his work in non-governmental organizations, he has also actively started initiatives in food production, increasing his experience in the fields of bush fruit growing, beekeeping and food processing.