As summer in Bodrum slowly loosens its grip, something curious happens. The beaches grow quieter, the music softens and suddenly the sea begins to breathe again. Trash bags fill with what the waves have carried, volunteers pull plastic from the seabed and city workers sweep away what the long season has left behind. It feels almost like an apology – as if the whole town is bowing its head, whispering “forgive us” to the nature that has carried the weight of our indulgence.
In recent days, I witnessed these cleanup efforts with my own eyes. Watching the divers rise from the sea with nets heavy with waste and seeing volunteers bend to gather what was left on the shore, it felt as though Bodrum itself was shedding a weight, renewing its spirit as the season fades. The town, battered by months of noise and indulgence, seemed to exhale and begin to transform again.
And now, it is our turn to leave. The ferries and highways call us back to the cities we came from, to the routines we briefly escaped. Yet as I pack my bags, I cannot help but wonder: is the city ready for us or perhaps more truthfully, are we ready for the city? Bodrum has begun its renewal. I only hope that, in returning, we carry some of that spirit with us, and that we do not leave behind only an apology.
This year, the cleanup effort has taken on a broader and more urgent tone. OPET, which first launched its Respect for Nature initiative after the devastating wildfires of 2021, has turned its campaign into a nationwide call: “Respect Nature, Own Your Trash.”
From Bodrum to Bursa, teams gather not just to pick up litter, but to chip away at the very sparks of disaster. As OPET co-founder Nurten Öztürk reminds us, “Every piece of trash thrown onto the ground is not just waste; it is a danger, a potential spark of fire lodged into our homeland.”
I would like to sincerely congratulate Nurten Öztürk, who personally joined the cleanup event in Bodrum’s Çamlık district. With this effort, she emphasized their aim:
“to make the damage caused by waste visible, to remind people of the role trash plays in forest fires, and to inspire a lasting change in social behavior.”
From Çamlık Square, volunteers set off together, and in just half an hour, they managed to fill an entire trailer with waste. It was a powerful reminder that when people unite with purpose, transformation does not take years – sometimes it only takes minutes.
But Bodrum’s late-summer rituals are not only about land. The sea, too, receives its share of attention.
Under the motto “The Sea Looks Best in Blue,” divers recently held the ninth annual underwater cleanup in Kumbahçe, lifting nearly 200 kilograms of waste from the depths.
Elsewhere, a bold new project titled “From the Sea to Life, Clean Water for Bodrum” is setting sail: an innovative floating purification platform designed to convert seawater into fresh, clean water.
These efforts, however, are not just about cleaning up – they are about conscience. They are the symbolic bow at the end of a long, crowded, noisy summer. They remind us that joy and beauty cannot be taken for granted, that paradise comes with responsibility, and that the sea does not endlessly forgive.
Perhaps the truest way to honor Bodrum at the close of its golden season is simple: to treat its land and waters not as a backdrop for our pleasures, but as a living gift. To tidy up, to show respect, to whisper one last time before autumn arrives – thank you, and we’re sorry.
