Meet ZEYDD

Meneviş Uzbay Pirili

PSLifestyle Local Coordinator, Assoc. Prof. Meneviş is an academic, and has taught sustainable development, ecological economics, economic growth courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. She is currently a faculty member at Yaşar University. She has been a founding member of Zeytince E.Y.D.D. since 2018. For her pioneering work in eco-literacy training in Izmir, she was awarded the 2022 Woman of the Earth award by the YVES ROCHER Foundation. She is one of the executive board members of Izmir Sustainable Urban Development Network, within the scope of this task she maintains strong networking and co-operation relationships with city stakeholders such as local municipalities, business associations, universities etc, who share the goal of transforming Izmir into an inclusive and beautiful city that is also in harmony with nature. She is the local coordinator of two international projects that aim to inspire citizens to adopt positive, sustainable, and healthier lifestyles.

Özge Yılmaz

Özge, who started her career as a Financial Advisor after completing an undergraduate degree in Economics, has run her own company for the last 20 years. Additionally, she has assumed managerial positions in non-governmental organizations related to her profession, and her articles have been published in various journals. Her sensitivity towards life has led her to work in non-governmental organizations that carry out environmental and human-oriented activities. Yılmaz, who is one of the founding members of Zeytince Association and served as its president for three years, has experience in financial management and coordination in NGOs. She is still an active member and manager of many civil society organizations.

Leyla Öğüt

Leyla is responsible for the Local Communication & Dissemination of the PSLifestyle project. She has a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts, and completed her master's program in Design Studies. She also completed an MBA distance education program at LIGS University. She has 14 years of experience as a manager in the visual and brand communication departments of international fashion companies and has also served as communication, dissemination and brand identity consultant and operations manager at language & culture institutions. She is the co-founder and communications manager of Zeytince Association. She works as a lecturer in Basic Art, Fashion History and Sustainable Fashion Design courses. She participated in various international symposiums and published articles on social identity, urban transformation strategies, creative industries and sustainable lifestyle. She continues her career as a Brand and Communication Designer under her own brand and organizational structure.

Pınar Börü

Dr. Pinar is responsible for Local Data and Statistic Management and Living Lab Management for PSLifestyle; she also conducts research. Dr. Pınar graduated from Hacettepe University with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and has a Master's and PhD degree in Economics from Ege University. She is one of the co-founders of Zeytince Association and Olive Academy. She is an independent researcher specializing in Sustainable Development, Environmental Economics and Creative Economy. Since 2013, she has been conducting various academic studies in the field of Ecology and Economics, as well as working on local, national and international projects. She believes that the PSLifestyle project inspires citizens to adopt sustainable lifestyles within a holistic world view.

Akın Erdoğan

Akin is responsible for Local Living Lab Management for the PSLifestyle project. He is also a researcher. Akın received his bachelor's degree in Economics and completed his master's degree in Regional Development Economics, both at Ege University. He is currently studying for a PhD in Economic History at Ege University. He coordinated workshop and training activities in the field of Civil Society in 2013-2014 as the co-founder of Zeytince Association. In 2017, he was among the founders of the Olive Academy. Based on his work and experience in the field of environment both at the academic level and civil society for 10 years, Akın believes that the fight against the climate crisis should be a multi-dimensional process and that it should be carried out in collaboration with all sections of society.

Cansu Pelin

Cansu is management assistant of the PSLifestyle Local Living Lab. She is also a researcher. Cansu completed her undergraduate degree in the Department of Architecture and her Master's degree in the Department of Industrial Design. She has been involved in various cultural, artistic, architectural and design projects both nationally and internationally, in parallel with her academic and professional life. Since 2020, following her experience in the Aylak Mutfak Project - which focuses on the production and consumption processes of food from farm to fork - she has been conducting research and networking activities focused on reducing consumption within PSLifestyle.

Funda Barbaros

Prof Dr. Funda is a Local Academic Consultant for PSLifestyle. She is also an academic at Ege University, Izmir and teaches courses in economic theory and history. For many years she has been continuing her studies on the universe, our planet and the human species. She has various publications of articles and books on economic history and development. She was a contributor to the establishment of the Zeytince Association for Supporting Ecological Lives, which aims to support ways of living that respect life, favour freedoms and are in harmony with the laws of nature.

Ayça Uysal

Ayça is a PSLifestyle Local Communication & Dissemination Assistant. She has a bachelor’s degree in the field of International Relations and, she is currently in the process of completing her Master's degree in Middle East Studies, which focuses on the sustainable development of the region. She is the co-founder of a startup named Waste-Age that has created a network for industrial symbiosis and waste management in the scope of a circular economy model. She has worked as a Project Coordinator in corporate companies and public institutions in her professional career. She continues to take part in civil initiatives to produce projects on impact entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, with a focus on sustainability and green policies.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101037342.