In Collaboration with TURMEPA and Garanti BBVA, the Blue Breath Project Education Bus Sets Off from Ayvalık in Its 5th Year
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Launched by DenizTemiz Association / TURMEPA in collaboration with Garanti BBVA, the Blue Breath Project continues its mission to prevent marine pollution through surface waste collection in the Marmara Sea and awareness-raising educational programs across regional provinces.
In its fifth year, the Blue Breath Education Bus, which hosts various workshops where students develop projects to combat marine pollution, made its first stop in Ayvalık. The opening event was held at SETUR Ayvalık Marina with the participation of students and teachers, supported by the Ayvalık Municipality.
The opening ceremony was attended by TURMEPA General Manager Semiha Öztürk, Ayvalık District Director of National Education Güner Bahadır, and TURMEPA Ayvalık Representative Süleyman Ercan.
During her opening speech, TURMEPA General Manager Semiha Öztürk stated:
“At TURMEPA, we aim to inspire love for the sea and instill awareness about protecting our marine environments through the educational programs we carry out all over Türkiye. Today, for the fifth time, our Blue Breath Education Bus begins its activities. Our first stop is Ayvalık, and we will continue on to İznik, Sakarya, and Üsküdar.
Students will take part in the Production Skills Workshop and Robotic Coding Workshop within the framework of the Zero Waste Blue awareness program. Over the past five years, our bus and online trainings have reached more than 130,000 people. This year, our online programs will also follow the bus’s route, and we aim to reach over 60,000 more students and teachers in our fifth year.”
Ayvalık District Director of National Education Güner Bahadır emphasized the importance of education in protecting nature and the future, saying:
“Education is our greatest strength in protecting nature, the seas, our country — and our future. In this bus where technology meets education, students will participate in various activities for a week. We believe learning doesn’t just happen within four walls; it happens through life itself. That’s why projects like this expand our students’ horizons, making them more creative and conscious individuals. We sincerely thank all institutions that have made this possible for us and our children.”
Expressing his pleasure at hosting the Blue Breath Project and the Education Bus in Ayvalık, TURMEPA Ayvalık Representative Süleyman Ercan said:
“We are delighted to bring the Blue Breath Bus together with our children in Ayvalık for the second time. Inside the bus, they not only gain environmental awareness but also have the opportunity to develop their own projects. They don’t just receive information — they feel a sense of responsibility toward protecting nature. We hope to see more projects like this locally and wish for Ayvalık to become an exemplary city in environmental awareness.”
As part of the educational program, children also visited the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, where they explored its rich collections and participated in hands-on workshops that enhanced their creativity and practical skills. Through these full-day activities, students gained environmental awareness while enjoying an unforgettable experience intertwined with history, culture, and art.
The Blue Breath Project Education Bus Meets Students for the Fifth Consecutive Year
Following its opening in Ayvalık, the Blue Breath Education Bus aims to welcome thousands of visitors and will remain at SETUR Ayvalık Marina for one week. It will then continue to İzmit, Sakarya, and Üsküdar.
In line with the Zero Waste philosophy, students will merge marine education with technology through the Production Skills Workshop and Robotic Coding Workshop. STEAM-based activities inside the bus are carried out with the support of ERTEV (Ermetal Technology Education Foundation).
About the Blue Breath Project
Launched in 2021 by TURMEPA and Garanti BBVA in response to the mucilage crisis in the Marmara Sea, the Blue Breath Project continues to generate tangible environmental, scientific, and social outcomes across different regions of Türkiye.
Extending from Marmara to Lake Van, and from Göcek to the Gulf of Saros, the project encompasses a wide range of activities — from marine waste collection and scientific research to educational programs and biodiversity mapping.
Throughout the project:
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Over 300 tons of solid waste have been collected from the Marmara Sea, and more than 16 tons from Lake Van.
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The liquid waste collection vessel operating in Göcek has collected 860,000 liters of waste from hundreds of boats, preventing the pollution of approximately 6.8 million liters of seawater.
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In the Fethiye-Göcek Special Environmental Protection Area, the “Monitoring, Protection, and Transplantation of Seagrass (Posidonia oceanica)” project was implemented, resulting in the transplantation of 10,000 seagrass shoots with a survival rate exceeding 70%.
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For the first time in Türkiye, the age of a seagrass meadow was determined in Göcek — estimated to be 2,000 years old.
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In the Gulf of Saros, 382 marine species were identified during 45 dives across 35 stations, producing a detailed habitat map of the region.