Companies emitting a paltry amount of carbon were rewarded by the Sustainable Product and Consumption Association (SÜT-D) as the heroes of Low Carbon Emission at the 3rd İstanbul Carbon Summit. The summit was organized by SÜT-D with the support of International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), İTÜ Arı Technokent and İTÜNOVA TTO, and 58 projects from home and abroad were evaluated. 19 companies, organizations and persons stood out with their success and their awards were given by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Öztürk, Undersecretary to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation.
Companies competed in the race to become low carbon heroes.
Energy projects took the lead in the applications. With their success in decreasing carbon emission in sustainable waste management, İzaydaş, Körfez Enerji, Hexagon Solid Waste Management companies became Low Carbon Heroes. DB Tarımsal Enerji (Agricultural Energy), with its biofuel production from the field to exhaust pipes, Borusan EnBW Enerji with Balabanlı Wind Power Plant, Turkish Air Lines with its project to decrease carbon emission by saving fuel, were declared Low Carbon Heroes. With the project “Zero Carbon Footprint Forests” Zorlu Energy Group became a Low Carbon Hero due to their technical and social outputs of carbon management.
The Award has taken on an international dimension
Alongside domestic companies, others from abroad were also awarded as Low Carbon Heroes. Among these are, International Clean Energy Partnership Foundation Climate Technology Center that applied from Germany with the Bonn Climate Project; Rutgers EcoComplex from the USA with the project to Decrease Greenhouse Gases by using Biomass Energy; and Dr. Seyed Shariatipour of Coventry University in England with his work on Carbon Capture and Storage.
The choice of SÜT-D was cogeneration technology
This year, SÜT-D elected one person and one non-government organization as Low Carbon Hero, using its own follow-up and evaluation criteria. The Turkish Cogeneration and Clean Energy Technologies Association (TÜRKOTED) Honorary President Özkan Ağış, and TÜRKOTED have been working on the production of electricity, heat and/or steam (cogeneration) all at the same time, and their efforts to inform people of the importance of carbon reduction in energy production earned them the title Low Carbon Hero.
Climate combat is a must for companies to continue to exist
Prof. Dr. Filiz Karaosmanoğlu from İTÜ, who is also the Vice President of SÜT-D, drew attention to the fact that it is important for everybody-individuals and corporations-to take responsibility in reducing the carbon footprint. Karaosmanoğlu went on to say that this was the second year of the Low Carbon Hero Awards they gave to persons, organizations and companies that have been taking measures to save the future of our planet, and added that companies’ sustainability methods should be the main element of their strategies. She said their purpose in giving this award is to increase awareness to the importance of carbon reduction and said “We need more companies that are thrifty in the emission of carbon.”
Rap performance from kids for the environment
At the Little Carbon Heroes performance, the little students of the İTÜ Development Foundation Dr. Sedat Üründül Private Kindergarten, received great applause and admiration with their rap performance “You Have a Message from Nature.” The little ones also kept rhythm to the famous song “Üsküdar” with the glasses they held in their hands. Little Carbon Heroes shared their dough relief works “City of Dreams” and “Life Underwater” reflecting their green dream world, with the participants.