Cezeri Green Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School has reached the final of the World’s Best Schools awards, held since 2022, for its work in renewable energy and environmental protection.
Established in 2017 as the country’s first renewable energy high school, the school entered the competition in the Environmental Action category. Selected from thousands of applications, the school was named among the top 10 in its category and is representing Türkiye in the final.
Reaching the final with energy projects
The school’s application included the Energy Detective Project, the integration of renewable energy systems into educational processes, and work enabling students to collect and analyze data from real energy systems.
Measures aimed at reducing the carbon footprint and increasing energy efficiency are also among the projects that took the school to the final. School Principal İlker Erkmen said they run programs that raise students’ environmental awareness alongside their educational activities.
Erkmen explained that energy detectives are selected from nearby schools as part of the Energy Detectives Project for middle schools. These students monitor energy and water consumption at their schools, and schools that achieve a significant reduction by the end of the year are rewarded.
Environmental awareness initiatives
The school provides middle school students with training on environmental awareness, carbon footprints and zero waste. It also conducts public information activities on how energy transformation can be carried out in nearby buildings.
Erkmen said the school’s application also included energy banks designed and produced at the school to meet the increased electricity needs of tent cities following the earthquake.
Jury and public vote to influence results
The schools’ work is reviewed by a jury in the awards program, while an international public vote is also included in the evaluation. Voting will continue online until the end of October.
Erkmen said the school was the only finalist from Türkiye in the Environmental Action category. He called for support in the public vote, saying that winning first place would increase the school’s international visibility and help promote educational initiatives in Türkiye.
