Antalya Environment Festival

With the collaboration of GEA Antalya and Muratpaşa Municipality, with the slogan of “Be a Breath to Life!” the environment festival was held on 20-21-22 April.

The festival, in which nearly sixty institutions and organizations participated, started with sea bottom cleaning. Muratpaşa Mayor Ümit Uysal dived with the Underwater Cleaning and Awareness Movement Association and GEA Search and Rescue Ecology Group and carried out sea bottom cleaning in the historical Kaleiçi Marina. During the cleaning, which took about 40 minutes, 10 sacks filled with waste such as glass bottles, plastic cups, truck tires came from the depths of the Mediterranean.

Muratpaşa Mayor Ümit Uysal, who made the opening speech of the festival, talked about the three industrial revolutions in the world and the fourth one, which will be realized with the production of computers and robots and drew attention to the environmental risks that await us as humanity. Explaining that human beings are a part of nature and the importance of protection of nature, Uysal finished his speech by saying: “Let us be Eco human, not Ego human. Let’s protect the environment.”

Aktiffelsefe Cultural Association President, Environmental Engineer Oya Uysal started her speech by stating that environmental pollution causes high deaths. She said: “According to the data of the medical community, while 9 million premature deaths occurred due to environmental pollution in 2015, 620 thousands of people died due to wars and 24 thousand due to natural disasters. As people who study philosophy, we know that mental and emotional pollution is reflected in nature as carelessness and pollution. Therefore, it is important to take a holistic view.”

In his speech, GEA Coordinator Umut Dinçşahin stated that we borrow nature from the future and that we will prepare our own end by constantly consuming it and said the following words of the Indians: “When the last river is dry, the last tree is destroyed, when the last fish is caught; the white man will realize that money is something inedible.” He added: “For this reason, the slogan of this festival- ‘Be A Breath to Life’ is important. I would like to thank all contributing institutions and organizations and Muratpaşa Municipality.”

GEA Antalya Branch President Murat Turan Beşparmak said: “We would like to thank Muratpaşa Mayor Ümit Uysal for all his support and cooperation. Our environmental themed International Cartoon Festival exhibition and our photography exhibition titled Traditional Turkey can be visited for three days. Everyone can access environmental themed publications and natural seeds from the stands. They can also participate in workshops for cat dog houses, birdhouse, natural cleaning products, yoghurt, bread, vinegar making. They can contribute to recycling by producing bags and accessories from waste materials. I invite everyone to workshops, conferences and concerts. Let’s be a breath to the world! by increasing environmental awareness all together.”