Mr. Salih Çeçen from IC Holdings

IC Cesme Marina wins the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice 2017

IC Cesme Marina wins the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice 2017

Camper & Nicholsons Marina, together with IC Holdings, is delighted to announce that IC Cesme Marina, one of the most important yacht marinas of the Eastern Mediterranean, has received another outstanding international award.

Constructed by IC İÇTAŞ İNŞAAT and now managed and operated under a joint venture between IC Holdings and Camper & Nicholsons Marinas. IC Cesme Marina won the Silver accolade for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice held at the House of Commons in London.

IC Cesme Marina, is a chic and vibrant port village set in a natural harbour is sensitively integrated within the traditional maritime city of picturesque Cesme, rich in history and atmosphere. You’ll find yourself enchanted by the marina village’s numerous elegant cafés and fine eateries, and also attracted to the marine fashion retail outlets and designer boutiques of the modern retail complex.

This romantic ancient harbour is a wonderful place to visit, an ideal base for berthing or wintering your yacht and a perfect home marina from which to cruise in Turkey or sail the Aegean – with the idyllic isles of Chios and Lesbos just a short sail away.

IC Cesme Marina produces natural organic olive oil from olive trees that are planted, grown, nurtured and maintained by the marina team, who enjoy nurturing the olive trees and have pride in providing olive oil from within the marina estate. The olives are carefully harvested by the IC Cesme Marina employees and their family members, harvesting takes place within an on-site ceremonial event with a festival-like atmosphere.

Through the olive oil initiative, the project has helped achieve the following;

  • 75 olive trees have been planted
  • One of the trees dates back more than 200 years
  • The olive oil trees help filter the water before flowing in to the marina basin, helping act as natural storm filters
  • By caring for the olive trees, IC Cesme Marina has helped contribute towards improving environmental awareness and responsibility towards the flora and fauna around the marina
  • Overall well-being of staff and colleagues working within the marina estate has greatly improved
  • The project has encouraged further emphasis on health and well-being and has prioritised olive oil as an important factor towards the Aegean cultural heritage
  • Better understanding of the environment has encouraged even more planting including; 16 lemon trees, 51 pomegranate trees, 31 orange trees and 2 gumwood trees.

Future-proofing the environment around the marina and ensuring future generations will be able to benefit from the olive trees is what the marina team are striving for, ensuring they keep the olive tree and olive oil project very much alive.

Can Akaltan, General Manager of Cesme Marina comments:

“We would love to see this initiative rolled out all over the Mediterranean. We have proven that with a little time and money to buy the first few trees, you can create something enjoyable, sustainable and memorable for all involved. A huge amount of team effort from the IC Cesme Marina staff and their families have helped to create the olive oil from the trees. Without this commitment and support it would not be so successful. Luckily, this is an activity which has been embraced by our people and their willingness to help and get involved is greatly valued and appreciated.”

Now, as an International Green Apple Award winner, Cesme Marina is eligible to become a Green World Ambassador, representing the company and Turkey in the Green World Awards 2018.

The Green Organisation judges comment:

“This stunning Turkish marina has a plantation of 75 olive trees up to 200 years old that are harvested every year as part of a celebration of Aegean culture. The oil is sold locally and the trees provide shelter for local wildlife. Their presence has inspired the planting of a further 100 native fruit trees.”

Can Akaltan further comments:

“We are so proud to win another award for Cesme Marina! We continue to re-invest in the marina to enable a wonderful experience for our berth holders, visitors, retailers and colleagues to all enjoy. The Green Apple Awards fit very well with the ethos of Cesme Marina as the olive oil is an important factor we hold here helping promote our Aegean heritage and culture.”