19.12.2025 01:31
The "Boğaziçi Environmental Awards" organized by the Boğaziçi University Electrotechnology Club and the IEEE Student Branch were presented to their recipients in a ceremony.
The award ceremony, held for the fifth time in the historic Albert Long Hall located on the South Campus of Boğaziçi University, brought together academics, business figures, and artists with a vision of a "green future" to raise environmental awareness and honor achievements in sustainability.
"WE GATHERED FOR THE BRAVE PEOPLE WHO PUT THEIR HANDS UNDER THE STONE"
The ceremony began with a concert by the Boğaziçi University Music Club Jazz Choir. Ayşenaz Özgürbüz, the Chair of the BUEC IEEE Board, stated in her speech that the word sustainability is heard very often these days, and she said: "Sometimes it is emptied of meaning, sometimes it is perceived as a trend. However, for our generation, sustainability is not a stylish corporate goal, but an undeniable struggle for existence. Our planet is not a legacy left to us by our ancestors, but a trust we borrowed from the future. We are gathered here tonight for the brave people who take initiative to protect the air, water, soil, and all living beings that inhabit it."
AWARDS FOUND THEIR OWNERS
Özgürbüz expressed that they were given hope with every green step taken and every environmentally friendly decision made, saying, "The environmental struggle is not a one-person game; it is a collective action. Therefore, regardless of the outcome, everyone who shares this great responsibility by being on our candidate list has won in our eyes. I thank each and every one who has shouldered the ideal of a 'more livable world' with their projects and visions, and who has put their hands under the stone."
During the ceremony, awards were presented to the environmentalists and institutions of the year, determined by 450,000 public votes and jury votes in 17 categories.