Sustainability Park has been declared a tobacco-free zone

The ‘Sustainability Park’, established in Nilüfer in collaboration with Nilüfer Municipality and Bursa Uludağ University (BUÜ), has been declared as the first smoke-free outdoor area on the Görükle Campus. The Sustainability Park at BUÜ Görükle Campus hosted a significant event on March 31st, World No Tobacco Day, to draw attention to the health risks of smoking. Nilüfer Deputy Mayor Zerrin Güleş, BUÜ Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Cafer Çiftçi, BUÜ Sustainability Coordinator Prof. Dr. Arzu Çahantimur, Bursa Chamber of Medicine Board Member Dr. Kenan Ergus, along with academics and students, attended the event where it was announced that the Sustainability Park was designated as the first smoke-free outdoor area on the Görükle Campus. Nilüfer Deputy Mayor Zerrin Güleş emphasized the negative effects of tobacco and tobacco products on the environment, economy, and human health, highlighting the importance of reducing smoking in achieving sustainability goals. Güleş stated, ‘As Nilüfer Municipality, with your support, we will continue to work diligently to build a healthier, greener, and more sustainable future.’ BUÜ Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Cafer Çiftçi also pointed out that smoking not only leads to deadly diseases but also has harmful effects on the environment in an industrial sense, stating, ‘The damage to the soil during tobacco production, deforestation, and the employment of women and children in tobacco fields in underdeveloped countries reveal serious problems not only in consumption but also in production. For all these reasons, we say ‘stop’ to smoking and tobacco products.’ BUÜ Sustainability Coordinator Prof. Dr. Arzu Çahantimur highlighted that the designation of the Sustainability Park as a smoke-free outdoor area in collaboration with BUÜ Medical Faculty Hospital Prof. Dr. Nihat Özyardımcı Smoking Cessation Outpatient Clinic and the Rectorate decision is a first in Bursa. Çahantimur added that they aim to create awareness for reducing smoking in society, especially among children and young people. Additionally, at the event, Prof. Dr. Yeşim Uncu, Responsible for BUÜ Medical Faculty Hospital Prof. Dr. Nihat Özyardımcı Smoking Cessation Outpatient Clinic, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karadağ, Head of the Department of Chest Diseases at BUÜ Medical Faculty, and Social Services Specialist Büşra Aydın from Yeşilay Counseling Center provided information about the adverse effects of smoking on human health. Sedef Erçetin Gençosmanoğlu, the Director of International Collaborations at Yeşilay, explained the environmental damages caused by the production and waste processes of cigarettes. Following the speeches, an award ceremony was held for a competition where BUÜ students presented short videos illustrating the harm caused by tobacco and tobacco products to the environment and human health.