Gunesköy Cooperative started in 2000, when 8 of us formed Turkey’s first "environmental cooperative". We spent months looking for the right land, and in July 2002 we bought 75 000 m2 of "stony land" from the state.
Güneşköy is not yet a living village, nor is it thick with trees. While it has dreams of fully environmental ways of interacting with nature, at the moment we are doing our best, realistic though still not ideal...
In 2018, Güneşköy was accredited as a European Voluntary Service sending organisation. In February 2019, Sercan went to Los Portales (Spain, 9 months) and Tansu to Sieben Linden (Germany, 7 months). In 2020, Cenk and Mert Kaan spent 12 months, then in 2021 Sena (12 months) and Fatih (6 months), and in 2022 Baran (6 months) at Los Portales.
Güneşköy is 65 km East of Ankara, 15 km South of the town of Elmadağ. It is 3 km from the village of Hisarköy, in the province of Kırıkkale, district of Yahşihan. At nearly 1000m altitude, winters are cold and summers can be very hot, although the dry heat is more bearable than coastal humidity.
Before coming to Güneşköy - practical information before your first visit.
Because we aim to design an example that will inspire people living in villages across Turkey. We started with poor soil, intending to enrich it using natural ecological methods.
Because we aim to show how cooperation between local residents and others benefits everyone: reducing migration, using resources effectively, sharing knowledge, and building connections.
To demonstrate what can be achieved without high-quality arable land.
A non-profit cooperative demonstrating sustainable ecological alternatives in Central Anatolia. Güneşköy raises awareness among villagers and city dwellers and builds bridges between them by:
Some videos before the railway viaduct construction began:
By involving volunteers and building relationships with local communities.
The Bahçe project produces organic vegetables delivered to subscribed families. Innovations include drip irrigation (2006), companion planting (2007), and raised beds (2008).
Who was Güneşköy in the first 10 years?
Founders: Ali and İnci Gökmen, Atila Koç, Claire Özel, Çetin Göksu, Evren Yılmaz, Fikret Şimşek, Yavuz Ataman.
Later contributors: Ömür Evren, Fevzi Torun and many volunteers.
An Ecovillage-Initiative and its Interact studied early interactions within Güneşköy.
75 decares of land, about 20 suitable for cultivation. The natural vegetation is Central Anatolian steppe.
Buildings:
Mandala straw bale building (meeting space), Stone Depot, GünSera solar greenhouse, and compost toilets.
Güneşköy flora archive documents biodiversity.