Hello!

Today I would like to talk about a sustainability initiative I saw during my recent visit to Istanbul.

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is not only a historical attraction, but also an environmentally friendly city. Let us quickly introduce some specific examples of sustainability experienced in Istanbul.

Discard leftover food, including restaurant and household food scraps, on the street.

The first thing that surprised me was the culture of discarding leftover food in restaurants and other places and throwing it away on the street.

You may cringe for a moment when you hear of people dumping food on the street, but this is not disorderly behavior. In fact, there is a good reason for this.

You dump leftover food on the street so that stray dogs and cats can eat it.

Moreover, the house or restaurant side does not put food waste in the house, so it does not smell!

Isn't that killing two birds with one stone!

Especially during the cold season, these behaviors help keep animals alive.

Oh, and of course, there is no plastic garbage, and we only throw away what we can eat, everyone.

But by noon, the roads are already clear.

I even saw people drive all the way to the port area and throw away the remnants of many loaves of bread.

This was already quite a culture shock, but I thought it was very reasonable.

Dogs and cats are protected.

Walking the streets of Istanbul, you will notice that there are many stray dogs and cats. But these animals are not neglected; they are well protected.

They receive regular health checks and necessary treatments and vaccinations. Water stations and feeding stations are set up throughout the city to provide a safe environment for the animals.

The dogs you see on the road definitely have tags in their ears!

This is especially common in tourist spots, but such dogs are vaccinated and under protection.
Also, as I mentioned above, the animals feel protected because the food waste is outside.

If you are an animal lover, you should definitely visit Istanbul!

Frequent use of boats and other forms of transportation with low environmental impact

Istanbul is a metropolis that stretches across the Bosphorus strait between Asia and Europe, but it is also very unique in its transportation options.

In particular, the use of boats is a popular form of transportation, which is also environmentally friendly. Boats have low emissions and are used as a means of transportation that respects nature.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• Emissions per unit transported:In terms of greenhouse gas emissions per ton of transport, shipping is lower than rail. For example, according to 2018 data, the average emissions for marine transport are 21 gCO2e per ton, and 11 gCO2e per ton for rail.Open in new windowwww.quora.com Ship vs Train CO2 emissions per ton
• Transport Distance: For long-distance transport, the advantages of ships are even more pronounced. For example, in the case of container transport from Europe to Asia, ships emit more than 90% less greenhouse gas emissions than airplanes and 70% less than railroads.

air pollutant

• Emissions Ships use diesel engines, which emit air pollutants such as soot and nitrogen oxides. In recent years, however, emission regulations have been tightened and emissions have been significantly reduced. On the other hand, trains and buses operating in urban areas continue to cause air pollution.
• Discharge Location: Since ships emit air pollutants at sea, their impact on urban areas is relatively small.

Land use

• Vessels:. Ships do not require new land to navigate the seas. On the other hand, railroads and trains require a lot of land for the construction of tracks and stations.
• Biodiversity: Ship navigation may affect marine life, while the construction of railroads and trains may affect biodiversity due to deforestation.

Moreover, traveling by boat is very fast and convenient. It saves time because it goes smoothly and without traffic jams.
Above all, traveling by boat is very elegant, tasteful, and relaxing. Traveling by boat while feeling the sea breeze is truly a luxurious experience.

There are recycling bins for clothing.

In Istanbul, recycling bins for clothing are located throughout the city. This is an easy way to recycle clothes that are no longer in use, and citizens are happy to make use of these bins.

Recycled clothing is often reused or donated to those in need. These efforts lead to less waste and more efficient use of resources.

I'm sorry for a moment, the image above is not an actual picture of Turkey, but a free image, but you can usually find it in Istanbul!

Conclusion

How was the article?
The sustainability initiatives I saw in Istanbul are truly diverse. It was very inspiring to see the entire city working together to protect the environment.

Other about Turkeyrelated articles, you can see byClicking herefor more details!

If you ever visit Istanbul, please take note of these efforts.

See you in another article!