United for a Sustainable Future: Near East University Sustainability Student Club
Sustainability is built through the choices we make every day. The Near East University Sustainability Student Club brings students together to turn what they learn into practical action on campus and in the wider community. Through activities that connect environmental awareness, healthy living, social solidarity, responsible consumption, and local production, the club creates opportunities for students to take part in sustainability in a direct and meaningful way.
17 Goals, One Shared Future
Founded in 2025, the Near East University Sustainability Student Club aims to raise awareness about environmental protection, the responsible use of natural resources, recycling, climate change, respect for nature and animals, social solidarity, and sustainable living habits. The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide the framework for the club’s activities, which approach sustainability from environmental, social, and economic perspectives. This gives students a space to apply what they learn, exchange ideas across disciplines, and take part in projects with a visible community dimension.
A Student Community Bringing Disciplines Together
Open to students from all faculties, the club quickly grew to 117 members. Its members come from the Faculties of Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Health Sciences, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine. Students from Midwifery, Nutrition and Dietetics, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, and Occupational Therapy also take part through the Faculty of Health Sciences. This mix of disciplines allows students to look at sustainability questions from different angles and to develop activities together.
A Growing Team Led by Students
The club’s academic mentor is Prof. Dr. Adile Öniz Özgören. Büşra Elbüken serves as president and İdil Cebeci as vice president. Hatice Gül Arıktaş is social media coordinator, Mertcan Sayan is social activities coordinator, Ege Erdoğan is academic activities coordinator, Umut Can Karataş is the student clubs’ liaison, and Buket Atar serves as secretary-general. The team shares responsibility for planning activities, organizing events, coordinating communication, and turning student ideas into projects.
From Awareness to Concrete Action
One of the club’s first gatherings was an introductory event held under the slogan “17 Goals, 1 Future.” Students discussed how the Sustainable Development Goals can be reflected in daily campus life and how they could contribute through the club. The event also introduced the club to students from different faculties and helped expand its interdisciplinary community.
The event “A Sustainable Step from Local to Global” focused on the value of local and sustainable production. At “In Balance with the Planet: A Guide to Healthy Living,” participants explored the link between sustainable living and physical and mental well-being through yoga and breathing exercises led by Sibel Baydar. The club also organized the “Together, We Succeeded” initiative, collecting donations for the TULIPS Cancer Patients’ Aid Association and connecting social solidarity with reuse and responsible consumption.
From Seed to Hope: Students Connect with Nature
One of the club’s most hands-on activities was a seed-ball project carried out with Dağdoğan Hiking Academy. On 21 December 2025, seeds from date palm, cherry, apricot, sour cherry, olive, carob, juniper, acorn, and almond were mixed with natural fertilizer and soil, then wrapped using old newspapers to create hundreds of seed balls. Four days later, on 25 December 2025, students, faculty members, and hikers met in the Tepebaşı Yorgos Başpınar area and placed the prepared seed balls in the soil along the stream bed.
The professionally guided walk also gave participants an opportunity to learn about the area’s vegetation, ecosystem, history, and geographical features. On the way back, the group collected plastic waste along the route. The activity therefore combined biodiversity awareness, climate awareness, environmental clean-up, and outdoor learning in a single experience. Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ and Center of Excellence President Prof. Dr. Murat Özgören also supported the initiative.
From Waste to Value: Transformation Workshop
The three-stage activity “From Past to Present: Preparing for the Market in the Transformation Workshop” brought the circular economy into everyday practice. The first stage focused on collecting discarded materials, including old newspapers, and considering how they could be reused. On 11 April 2026, participants crocheted reusable string shopping bags using macramé techniques. On 14 April, they produced paper bags from old newspapers.
The products created during the workshops were later presented to the public at the 4K Cooperative sales area on 4 May 2026. The process gave students a chance to follow an idea from discarded material to a functional product and finally to public presentation. It also showed, in a very practical way, how reuse can reduce waste while creating social and economic value.
An Open Call for New Ideas
In the new term, the Near East University Sustainability Student Club plans to reach more students and develop new projects in environmental awareness, social solidarity, healthy living, and responsible production and consumption. The club is open to students who want to learn, create, share ideas, and take part in practical activities that contribute to a more sustainable campus and community.
Contact: [email protected]