Green Building Takes Off in Turkey

turkey-eco-home leed houses istanbul photoThe global ecologically friendly building trend is taking hold in Turkey as well, according to the English-language daily Hurriyet News and Economic Review.

We’ve covered Turkey’s water agreements with Iraq, along with the country’s hard line against coastline development.

Green construction in Turkey includes waste disposal systems, solar energy, and rainwater collection, Hurriyet reports:

Reghnumj’s Astrum Towers in Haramidere will also collect rainwater. A-Z Yapı’s Meritlife Kent will utilize a system where all domestic waste will be recycled. Soyak’s Mavişehir will consist of houses that reduce heat dissipation, while Milpa’s Milpa Konutları in Esenyurt will help reduce water waste by 50 percent.

Doğa Gayrımenkul will use only wood in the construction of Doğa Meşepark, while Hektaş İnşaat’s İdealist Kent project will include a system to collect rainwater.

Hurriyet adds that in financially bad times, the energy, water and other savings from eco-homes can be up to 50 percent.

I find it heartening to read about eco-friendly towers and not just homes; this leaves hope for creating truly green walkable communities that don’t depend on cars.

Daniella Cheslow
Daniella Cheslowhttp://www.greenprophet.com
Daniella Cheslow grew up in a car-dependent suburb in New Jersey, where she noticed strip malls and Wal-Marts slowly replacing farmland. Her introduction to nature came through hiking trips in Israel. As a counselor for a freshman backpacking program at Northwestern University, Daniella noticed that Americans outdoors seemed to need to arm themselves with performance clothing, specialized water bottles and sophisticated camping silverware. This made her think about how to interact with and enjoy nature simply. This year, Daniella is getting a Master’s in Geography from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She also freelance writes, photographs and podcasts. In her free time, she takes day trips in the desert, drops off compost and cooks local foods like stuffed zucchini, kubbeh and majadara. Daniella gets her peak oil anxiety from James Howard Kunstler and her organic food dreams from Michael Pollan. Read more at her blog, TheTruthHerzl.com. Daniella can be reached at daniella (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

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