ALP KARGI

Integration of Sustainability and Green Environmental Activities into Local Governments

Abstract

The Carbon Footprint Project was brought up by Merzifon Mayor Alp KARGI in 2018 and was added to the election declaration before the 2019 Local Government Elections. In order to carry out this project, he established communication with Prof. Dr. Eralp ÖZİL. As a result of the negotiations, work has begun to calculate Merzifon’s carbon footprint and plan the city’s future.

In order to increase environmental awareness and sensitivity with a sense of social responsibility and environmental management, carbon footprint calculations were started urgently to measure the impact and damage of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. In light of the data and results obtained, a roadmap for a clean future in the city has been determined. Merzifon Mayor Alp KARGI’s goal is to prepare the next stage, the city’s sustainability report, and to adopt these two reports with all stakeholders of the city as the city’s constitution.

A local administrator needs to analyze the city he or she manages in its entirety and make plans accordingly. Carbon footprint calculations are useful for these analyses and reveal the current situation.

Increasing environmental awareness in society and obligations to comply with the Paris Agreement make this report important for every city. Environmental activities must be monitored in all kinds of business sectors, not only for import and export, but also as a result of increased sensitivity in people. For example, our country’s tourist cities, which are a tourism paradise, should calculate their carbon footprint in order to differentiate themselves from benchmark cities.

In order to prepare Merzifon for a zero-carbon future and manage limited resources effectively, the Rainwater Collection Project was carried out in collaboration with İlbank A.Ş. in 2020. In 2022, the lighting on the city’s main arteries started to be replaced with LED lighting. Effective water management is planned by reducing electricity consumption and minimizing loss and leakage rates by putting the 15,000,000 Euro Merzifon Drinking Water Project into operation by 2025, with the help of the World Bank and İlbank A.Ş., which provides the city’s water needs underground. In addition, work is underway for a Merzifon that is environmentally friendly by starting solar power plants and advanced biological treatments.

Biography

Alp KARGI was born in Merzifon on 14.11.1972. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Merzifon.

In 1996, he graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Firat University. He completed his military service as a reserve officer in Adana under the Ministry of National Defense Central Supply Region Directorate. In 1998, he started working as a freelance veterinarian in Merzifon.

He became the Mayor of Merzifon by winning the local elections on 30.03.2014. He was re-elected as the Mayor of Merzifon in the local elections on 31.03.2019. He is married to Suna KARGI and has two children named Yiğit and Zeynep.