Blue Breath Project extended to Lake Van
Cleaning started in Lake Van within the scope of the Blue Breath Project realized in cooperation with Garanti BBVA and TURMEPA. According to the statement made by the bank, Garanti BBVA, which prioritizes the fight against the climate crisis within the scope of its sustainability strategy, launched the "Blue Breath Project" in the Marmara Sea in 2021 in cooperation with the DenizTemiz Association / TURMEPA in order to reduce and prevent marine pollution, this time extending to the east of our country to Lake Van. In order to cope with the pollution in and around the lake, the "Octopus 6" vacuum cleaner will operate in Lake Van for 12 months. The Blue Breath Project, which will benefit the protection of biodiversity by reducing water pollution in Lake Van, also aims to contribute to raising environmental awareness in the people of the region. Within the scope of the Blue Breath Project, in September 2021, mucilage and solid waste cleaning started with two skimmers to contribute to the solution of the mucilage problem in the Marmara Sea. In July 2022, a sea sweeper went beyond Marmara and worked for 4 months to clean the sea by collecting both solid and liquid waste in the Adrasan region of Antalya, where sea tourism is intense. Lake Van became the third region reached by the Blue Breath Project. Garanti BBVA General Manager Baştuğ stated that Garanti BBVA, with a sense of responsibility towards the society of which they are a part, has undertaken pioneering efforts to combat the climate crisis. Pointing out that waste management and a clean future are of critical importance in their work, Baştuğ said: "We have a good long-term cooperation with TURMEPA and its valuable management, which we act together on this issue. In recent years, nature has sounded the alarm in a way we have never encountered before, and the mucilage problem that affects thousands of species living in the marine ecosystem has manifested itself very strongly. For this reason, in 2021, we launched the 'Blue Breath Project' in cooperation with the DenizTemiz Association / TURMEPA to prevent marine pollution. Between September 21, 2021 and March 31, 2023, 132,400 kilograms of solid waste was collected from the Marmara Sea with sea sweepers and the appropriate ones were recycled. Before the first year of our project was over, we were happy to go beyond Marmara and support regions that have water pollution problems. Last summer, we collected about 2 tons of liquid waste by cleaning the sea in Adrasan, where yacht tourism is widespread. Now we are supporting the cleaning efforts in Lake Van. With Blue Breath, we are happy to keep our seas and water resources other than Marmara clean and to contribute to raising awareness on environmental awareness across Turkey. We will continue to take every action necessary to prevent pollution and take good care of our environment and our world." TURMEPA Chairman Şadan Kaptanoğlu stated that they are happy to carry the Blue Breath journey, which they started two years ago in the Marmara Sea, to Lake Van after the seas. Pointing out that Lake Van is Turkey's largest lake as well as an important attraction point with its socio-cultural, economic and environmental contributions in the region, Kaptanoğlu said, "Unfortunately, it also has to struggle with pollution pressure for the same reasons. As TURMEPA, we are bringing a permanent solution model to Lake Van, which has been in our focus since our foundation, this time together with Garanti BBVA. With this project, we will make a significant contribution to the protection activities carried out by the state and local governments in the region for many years. Tatvan Municipality is also supporting our project, which aims to make the Lake Van Basin resilient against climate change and raise regional awareness on this issue while preventing pollution in the lake. Because we are all responsible for the heritage beauties of Lake Van with its pearl mullet and cool waters with soda water."