June 5 World Environment Day is being celebrated this year with the theme of #BeatPlasticPollution to emphasize the global fight against plastic pollution. Because today, plastic pollution has become a serious environmental problem that threatens not only natural habitats but also human health. Plastic waste not only pollutes the oceans and soil; it also threatens human health by reaching the air, water and food chain through microplastics. The most effective and permanent solution to combat this global problem is not only technological developments but also the transformation of individuals’ behaviors. Environmental education lies at the heart of this transformation.
As the Foundation for Environmental Education in Turkey (TÜRÇEV), we have been working in the fields of environmental education and sustainable tourism for sustainable development since 1993 with the awareness of this responsibility. For over 30 years; In order to direct individuals, institutions and local governments to more sustainable lifestyles, we undertake the coordination of international programs such as Blue Flag, Eco-Schools, Learning about Forests and Ecosystems, Young Reporters of the Environment and Green Key in Turkey and in this sense, we try to combat plastic pollution. In this struggle, together with the 5 environmental education programs we carry out, we create awareness in the society to reduce plastic waste on our coasts with our “Take Care of Your Beach” project that has been ongoing since 2010; and we encourage individuals to take an active role for clean, healthy and sustainable coasts. The project, which has been carried out in cooperation with EKAD, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and BETUYAB since 2023 and renewed under the name “Plastic-Free Shores, Plastic-Free Waters”, creates an important awareness and action platform against plastic pollution on our Mediterranean coasts. With the “Environmental Education Congress for a Sustainable Future” that we organized in 2025, we took an important step towards strengthening the scientific foundations of environmental education and supporting solution-oriented approaches with multi-stakeholder collaborations. Likewise, with our Eco-Campus application, we encourage young people in higher education institutions to think nature-based and take an active role in sustainability.
Our aim is not only to protect the environment; it is to contribute to the development of generations of individuals who are respectful to nature, responsible and conscious. Because we know that a sustainable future can only be shaped through education.
With these feelings and thoughts; we celebrate Turkiye Environment Week and June 5th World Environment Day, and wish for a future where we will all take steps against plastic pollution. We hope that the mark we leave on nature is not plastic, but consciousness.