President / Founding Member

I’m the curious and nature enthusiast granddaughter of a jazzophile grandpa who would talk to plants. Being lucky in following my passions, I graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2010. Subsequently, to find the answers to my ‘why questions’, I completed my first MA on Cultural Studies, and earned my second MA in Psychoanalytic Studies. I have often taken part in many social responsibility projects and also worked with children on the field art and sustainability. Eventually I joined the Jane Goodall Institution. Currently I’m working on my Phd thesis focusing on ‘the possible effects of rhythm on the social behaviour of chimpanzees’. I also take part in organizations which contribute to the protection of nature.

Vice President / Founding Member

I was born and grew up on the slopes of the Amanos Mountains, in the arms of the Orontes River in Antakya. I studied chemistry. I’m a bird watcher, haiku and nature lover. I work on education policies, environmental / nature education, sustainability education, climate change education, ecological literacy and biomimicry. Since 2017, I have been implementing data-based K-12 education policy monitoring studies in Sabancı University Education Reform Initiative. Previously, I worked with the Turkish Association for the Protection of Nature (DHKD), Nature Association (DD), UNEP, TEMA Foundation and ÇEKÜL Foundation. I taught Ecological Literacy and Sustainability, and Biomimicry at Istanbul Bilgi University between 2015-2020. I am the co-founder of Nature Games House and the founder of My Nature Friend’s Box game. I am a member of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) and Common Worlds Research Collective, also a board member of the Network of Education Policy Centers (NEPC) and the Buğday Association for Supporting Ecological Living.

Founding Member

I am an ecologist and educator. I started working with kids on nature studies at METU Biology Department. During my MA in Educational Psychology, Measurement and Evaluation at the University of North Carolina, I worked on learning processes in the brain, decision-making and strategy use in complex learning environments. With my two sons, I dreamed of another school and founded Meraklı Kedi Elementary School with my dream partners in Ankara Another School is Possible (BBOM) Education Cooperative. Between 2015-2020, I worked to develop the ecological stance, one of the four axes of the BBOM education model, throughout the school ecosystem. I work with children, youth and adults on democratic education, alternative learning environments, nature play, ecological literacy, sustainability and climate change. I am the founding partner of Nature Games House. I have been teaching Ecological Literacy and Sustainability at Bilgi University since 2016.

Founding Member

I am a natural scientist trying to understand the mechanisms that shape the patterns of biological and genetic diversity. For example, I am trying to understand why there are so many different species living in Turkey. In order to answer such questions, I analyze genetic data. I aim to reconstruct the historical changes in species’ ranges by investigating their DNA. Learning from the changes in the past, I aim to predict the effect of current climate change on species future distributions; I also investigate possible ways for minimizing these effects. My focus group is bats. I did fieldwork in many countries in pursuit of bats and I visited many caves. I previously worked as a researcher at Boğaziçi University and Berlin Museum of Natural History, and am currently a faculty member at the Ecology and Evolution Department of the Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University. I am involved in many nature conservation projects. I try my best to communicate science and nature, aiming to make them part of our lives.

Founding Member

I have studied fine arts and graphic design at Maryland Institute College of Art. As I was working with liquid plastics, I realized how the materials I was using were harming my body and the environment, which led me to question my whole practice. Through this realization, I started investigating sustainability, and volunteered at various community gardens and farms in Baltimore. After returning to Turkey, I had a chance to work with kids on a aquaponic vertical garden project called ‘Growth Manifesto’ as a part of the 2. Istanbul Design Biennial. I was mesmerized by nature’s power to transform and educate, and also by the kids’ excitement to learn. Since then I have worked on various creative art projects in museums and NGOs in the city. Currently I am continuing my design work in my studio ‘Heavenly, Practice.’ on projects that revolve around nature, education and design serving conscious people, organizations and brands. I am also volunteering for our nature clean-up platform ‘For The Planet’ for a waste free future.

Founding Member

I am a natural scientist, with physics and geophysics backgrounds, interested in climate science, ecology and applied informatics, and longing to be a disciple of Alexander von Humboldt. For many years, I was on the faculties of Boğaziçi and Istanbul Technical universities and also held administrative positions. I served twice on the Board of Directors of the late DHKD (Society for the Protection of Nature). Now I am retired; I moved to the IUC Forestry Faculty’s Forest Botany Department, and I lecture at Bilgi Üniversity. I firmly believe that nature conservation has to be ecosystem and knowledge based and has to have a rational approach. To put it in other words, if you are going to ‘love’ nature, you better first ‘understand’ it.

Founding Member

As an Ashoka Senior Fellow I work in the field of social enterprises. I introduced a new theory called Prosumer Economy. We can build a new economic system just like a forest, that is productive and in harmony with the planet. For this, I founded two organizations, Prosumer Economy Society and Good4Trust.org. I love nature, even named my son Doğa (nature in Turkish). I was the founding president of Doğa Derneği. In the past worked as an Environment Specialist at the United Nations, as General Director at TEMA Foundation and Greenpeace Mediterranean. I have been a birdwatcher since 1980, founded KusBank.org in 2001, Change.org Turkey in 2012. Kept away from nazar (evil eye), it’s all going well. My hope is that holding hands together with children and young people in Roots & Shoots, we will achieve harmony with nature eventually.

Vice Chairwoman of the Board

Vice Chairwoman of the Board

Treasury of the Board

Permanent Member of the Board

Permanent Member of the Board

Permanent Member of the Board

Permanent Member of the Board

President of Supervisory Board

Permanent Member of Supervisory Board

Permanent Member of Supervisory Board