Green city: Eskisehir

Edanur Mutlu

Eskişehir is taking important steps in the field of environmental sustainability by showing its determination to harmonize with the environmental policies of the European Union. The city draws attention with its projects and environmentally friendly initiatives in line with EU environmental standards.

Tepebaşı Municipality is the only Turkish municipality to be awarded a €5 million grant from the European Union’s ‘Remourban’ project, the ‘Renewal Model for Accelerating Smart Urban Transformation’. The grant is being used for the establishment of solar power plants, electric vehicles, and bicycle paths in Eskişehir. The aim is to prevent air, water, and soil pollution in Eskişehir and to leave a green Eskişehir for the next generation.

Solar Energy Initiatives in Eskişehir’s ‘Life Village’

Panels and power plants that generate electricity from solar energy were installed in the ‘Life Village’ established within the scope of the Remourban Project. The panels and power plants have benefited Eskişehir both financially and in terms of environmental cleanliness. Because, unlike fossil fuels, solar energy does not cause greenhouse gas emissions. This contributes significantly to the fight against climate change by reducing the carbon footprint. Environmental pollution is also minimized thanks to clean energy production. In addition to these efforts, Tepebaşı Municipality also carries out other activities to reduce its carbon footprint. For example, a solar power plant with a capacity to generate 95 kWh of energy was installed in Tepebaşı Municipality Service Building. Thus, 20% of the building’s energy is met by solar energy.

In 2021, the Municipality started using electric buses, which serve with the slogan “Zero emission, zero pollution, zero noise”, leaving no carbon footprint and saving fuel. Thanks to the environmentally friendly vehicles used, 70% energy savings were achieved.

It is possible to say that not only Tepebaşı, but almost all of Eskişehir implements the environmental policies of the European Union. For example, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Integrated Solid Waste Recycling and Energy Generation Facilities in Seyitgazi turn household waste into energy. In this way, 18,038,000 KWh of energy was generated, which corresponds to the electricity needs of 95,000 households. In addition, plants such as cactus, palm trees, and lavender were grown in greenhouses with the heat generated during electricity generation.

Innovative Waste Management Solutions by Odunpazarı Municipality

The underground garbage containers initiated by Odunpazarı Municipality are also one of the firsts in the city. These containers keep garbage and waste underground and thus eliminate visual pollution. In addition, more than 50% savings were achieved with the ‘Woody’ vacuum cleaner produced by the municipality.

According to Sadık Yurtman, director of the Eskişehir Environmental Protection and Development Association, which works in partnership with ‘Sivil Düşün’, a European Union project, Eskişehir is ahead of many cities in protecting the environment, but there is a big problem in Eskişehir: Pollution of the Porsuk River. Yurtman says that factories have been sued many times for this and that these lawsuits have been won and treatment plants have been built for the factories. “The fact that these lawsuits have been won is of great importance,” Yurtmani says, especially for the Porsuk, which is polluted after Kütahya. In addition, the mining exploration in Murat Mountain has such negative effects that it will destroy the Menderes and Porsuk streams. For this reason, winning the Murat Mountain case is of great importance.