Yasemin SALİH
Sabancı Holding Chairman of the Board Güler Sabancı said that the world has entered a period of action, not messages, in the fight against climate change. “It is no longer the messages given, the words spoken; work should be looked at. Now is the time for action,” Sabancı said, adding that the current economic crisis cannot prevent the climate struggle.
Sabancı drew attention to sustainability by planting a plant on the world-famous artist and activist Agnes Denes’ work titled “Living Pyramid” at the Sabancı Museum, and underlined that art plays an effective role in combating climate. Emphasizing that companies should now look at the work they do rather than the targets they declare, Sabancı said, “The discourses and actions of the world’s largest companies in the last three years have been compared. The discourse says 80 percent, but when you look at what has been done, the figure changes. It is necessary to look at what is done rather than what is said. At Sabancı, we say, ‘A ritual is a job, a person’s words are irrelevant’. We are doing. “Our numbers are very clear,” he said.
Crisis could be opportunity for climate problem
Pointing out that the world is experiencing a new crisis and that it seems to be getting ahead of the climate struggle, Sabancı continued as follows: “I believe that the current crisis is an opportunity for the sustainability journey of the world. Because the crisis has made everyone take more action on the climate. There are significant transformations. Digital transformation, green transformation. The digital transformation is now over, it now records the green transformation. Another thing I’m hopeful about is young people. I’m with young people at Sabancı University. Their understanding of volunteering is more effective than ours. So I hope the world will sort it out somehow, but there is still a lot of work to do. We will suffer from this for a long time. Europe will suffer this winter. The whole world will experience electricity and food constraints. But I am hopeful.”
Art plays a big role
Güler Sabancı stated that one of the most active roles in the climate struggle falls on the arts. Saying that Agnes Denes, the owner of the Living Pyramid, is one of the most important symbols of this work, Sabancı said, “Art has a great role. Agnes Denes is 92 years old. Take a look at what he’s still doing, how he’s leading. We need to see the effect of art,” he said.
Güler Sabancı stated that as Sabancı, they are the first holding in Turkey to promise to reach the ‘Net Zero’ level in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and said, “The agenda of the Short Film Competition and Philanthropy Conference to be organized by the Sabancı Foundation this year will again be the climate emergency. . Sabancı University is transitioning to a zero waste structure and a net zero commitment has been made. Sakıp Sabancı Museum became the first museum in its category to receive a “Green Museum Certificate” this year.”
Environmental activist since the 60s
Sakip Sabanci Museum Director Dr. Nazan Ölçer also stated that Agnes Denes’ Living Pyramid work gives hope to young people. “This year at SSM, we are hosting a late-discovered artist with the Living Pyramid by Agnes Denes,” said Ölçer, adding that the artist took actions that drew attention to sustainability as early as the 1960s. Ölçer said, “The whole life and production of Agnes Denes focuses on the issues of environment and sustainability that we are discussing today. Denes is one of those who saw this process early. We are talking about an artist who is over 90 years old. Today, the future is still untouched and fragile, it gives the message to treat it with care,” she said. Agnes Denes’ “Living Pyramid”; It can be seen in the garden of SSM between 13 September 2022 – 29 January 2023.
Sabancı Foundation raises gratuitous scholarship to 2 thousand TL per month
The amount of scholarship support that Sabancı Foundation will provide to its scholars in the 2022-2023 academic year has been announced. The foundation, which has been giving gratuitous scholarships to university students for 48 years, will give a monthly scholarship of 2 thousand TL for 10 months. Scholarship support, which has been given for 9 months a year until today, is increased to 10 months starting from the 2022-2023 academic year. While there is no repayment obligation in the Sabancı Foundation scholarship program; graduate scholars can mentor students who continue to receive scholarships according to their wishes, in order to transfer their experience and knowledge. The universities that Sabancı Foundation has granted scholarship quotas this year are as follows; Ankara, Bosphorus, Cukurova, Dokuz Eylul, Aegean, Gazi, Hacettepe, Istanbul, Istanbul-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul Technical, Marmara, Middle East Technical, Yıldız Technical University. Students enrolled in the university should follow the departments of the universities related to scholarships and the Sabancivakfi .org address for scholarship applications.