ECOLOGICAL LITERACY EDUCATION AND TRAINING

There is growing international recognition of Education as a key enabler for sustainable development, as the global community adopted Agenda 2030 and related Sustainable Development Goals; a global plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity. Education for sustainability aims to empower learners of all ages to assume active roles, both locally and globally, in building more peaceful, inclusive and ecologically secure societies.

Zeytince Association is dedicated to the cultivation of education for sustainable living and lifestyles in our region. As such we have been carrying out eco-literacy training courses and seminars to young people and adults in İzmir region since 2017. We work and collaborate at multiple levels of scale with local and regional public and private bodies in our training programs. Ecological literacy training aims to (a) nourish the culture of sustainability (b) assist citizens to gain the knowledge, inspiration and skills needed to foster ecologically sustainable life styles and at the same time and (c) engage and empower them to actively apply their knowledge and skills to tackle ecological issues in their communities.

Ecological literacy offers a participatory, experiential, action oriented and interdisciplinary approach to learning, alternative to the didactic education process. As such it is founded on the integration of emotional, social and ecological intelligences which nourishes active learning through creative thinking, feeling, experimenting and capability building. In other words this education, nourishes the competencies in knowledge and critical thinking; the capacity to apply knowledge and skills to practical application and engagement; and developing curiosity and empathy for the well being of the earth and all living things. Our eco-literacy training courses and seminars encourage participants to understand;

• How our life styles and the changing ecological and climate systems interact and how personal choices can make a difference.
• The global, national and regional agendas on sustainable development and sustainability.
• The various projects and good practices undertaken in İzmir region and across the world for sustainable livings.

Some of the recent training/seminars undertaken on eco-literacy are as follows:

EcoliteracySeminars I and II: Understanding the Language of the Earth
In collaboration with the The Mediterranean Academy of the Municipality of İzmir, academicians and teachers from Zeytince Association and Olive Academy http://zeytinokulu.net/en/ (“Zeytin Okulu”), have been organizing and delivering Ecological-Literacy Seminar Series for the citizens of İzmir each year since 2018.

Ecological Literacy Training: Olive Knows in Its Own Way
The aim of this Project was to provide ecological literacy education to university students on economics major at Ege University/İzmir , in order to contribute to the enhancement of their capacity to have a deep understanding and learning on ecological issues and human’s impacts on natural systems. The Project (2017-2019) was undertaken in collaboration with Ege University /İzmir, financed by TUBITAK (The Scientific and Research Council of Turkey) and carried out by the academics and teachers of Zeytince Association. 50 students from undergraduate and graduate levels at department of economics of Ege University were given ecological literacy training that lasted for 9 months. Training activities took place at the Olive Academy, the Training Center of Zeytince Association, situated at Inecik/ Karaburun, and at various villages of Karaburun. The trainings enabled the students to rethink the theoretical concepts such as natural resources and systems and thus was expected to foster the uptake of sustainable lifestyle practices both in their individual and professional lives.

Training activities were designed to foster active learning and around the theme of olive . During the training courses students were able to:

• meet the monumental olive trees on the olive grove route
• pick olives; observe and participate in oil pressing and in olive chemistry processes
• Taste local food, olive oil, learn by experiencing the entire journey of the olive oil
• Participate in the manufacturing of soap with the narcissus (nergis) scents.
• Participate various workshops and lectures on various themes ranging from economics and ecology to philosophy, astronomy.