Green City of the Future Sea Breeze

On November 16, Sea Breeze, in partnership with the Azerbaijan Operational Company, held an event dedicated to the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). The event also focused on the current agenda of creating a "green city" and the planting of a new pomegranate boulevard on the premises, which will become a legacy of the COP29 climate conference. The event was attended by the founder and owner of the resort city, Emin Agalarov, the owner of the architectural firm Scott Brownrigg, Darren Comber, the Sea Breeze Landscape Department, and participants of COP29.

In his speech, Emin Agalarov emphasized the importance of developing Sea Breeze as a green city, with a strong focus on large-scale ecosystem care. Over the years, more than 10 million trees and shrubs have been planted in Sea Breeze, including pines, palms, olive trees, cypress trees, juniper, cumin, rosemary, lavender, and many other species. Emin Agalarov noted that selecting species that will thrive on the windy shores of the Caspian Sea is a challenging task, but the Sea Breeze Landscape team has succeeded in this. Sea Breeze is evolving into a sustainable city, with bike lanes and eco-friendly golf carts that leave a zero carbon footprint. The population of squirrels, birds, bees, and even foxes is growing.

The head of the Sea Breeze Landscape Department mentioned in his speech that Sea Breeze collaborates with renowned landscape designer John Calvin Wiedemann to create a unique landscape, including the construction of artificial dunes. By 2025, an additional 5 million trees are planned to be planted, making Sea Breeze one of the greenest places on the planet.

Next, Darren Comber, representing the international architectural firm Scott Brownrigg, which implements urban projects worldwide and works closely with Sea Breeze, presented future projects that could be realized within the resort city. Each of these projects addresses contemporary environmental concerns through energy recycling, modern eco-culture, and other aspects.

The first pomegranate tree was planted during the event by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Emin Agalarov, and Ali Agalarov. The “Odlar Yurdu” dance ensemble, led by People's Artist of Azerbaijan Tarana Muradova, opened the ceremony with a performance of the “Pomegranate” dance. On this day, guests, together with professional gardeners, planted the first hundred pomegranate trees from the Goychay region. Pomegranate trees are ideal for planting along the waterfront due to their resilience; they are not afraid of wind or salty soil. Although they are currently dormant, they may bear their first fruits by next October. In the future, pomegranate trees will line the entire Sea Breeze boulevard, which is currently 7 km long. Ceremony participants received wooden keychains with GPS trackers, which will allow them to follow the fate of the trees they planted.

This symbolic event continued the realization of the Sea Breeze development plan – a unique project on the Caspian Sea coast, which today represents not just a luxurious resort and coastal village, but a true city of the future with an unprecedented green space development plan.

Throughout the event at the luxurious The Grand apartment hotel, artist, exhibition organizer for both adults and children, and participant in numerous exhibitions in Azerbaijan and abroad, Vusal Najafzadeh, along with artist, poet, and winner of several poetry contests, Arzu Muradova, conducted a masterclass, and guests had the opportunity to take home their own creations as souvenirs. The exhibition hall featured their paintings, as well as works by Kamala Musaeva, Emin Seidov, and Tahmina Ali.