Keeping Turkey's Seas and Coasts Clean

Founded in 1994 by Rahmi M. Koç as Turkey's pioneering civil-society organization for coastal and marine protection, TURMEPA (also known as DenizTemiz Derneği) operates six waste-collection vessels that pump out bilge and sewage waste from yachts and tourist boats in Mediterranean bays, plus a dedicated sea-sweeper boat collecting floating litter from the Bosphorus. Over more than three decades the organization has grown to over 9,000 volunteers and has delivered marine-environment education reaching more than 9 million people. It also coordinates the government-backed "Blue Breath Project," which restores seagrass meadows and coral habitats along Turkey's coastline.