YEREVAN—On Sat., April 18, Armenia Tree Project (ATP) organized a large-scale trash cleanup at Yerevan Children’s Railway and the adjacent river banks along the Hrazdan River. The cleanup is one in a series of events being organized in Armenia as part of the global Earth Day movement.
“Our objective is a clean and healthy Yerevan,” noted ATP Country Director Lucineh Kassarjian in remarks welcoming nearly 75 volunteers. “The Children’s Railway is a popular gathering place for families in summer since there are large shade trees and rides for children, so we are excited to make the area more hospitable and beautiful. We thank all organizations and volunteers that are present with us today with such enthusiasm and good will.”
The initiators of the cleanup event were ATP in partnership with the “Barev Yerevan” members of the Yerevan City Council. Two leaders of this community service event were parliamentarian Anahit Bakhshyan and singer-activist Arthur Ispirian. With the support of the city of Yerevan, 3 garbage trucks were provided to remove close to 100 bags of waste collected that day.
During the event, Kassarjian recognized several other key partners: “We thank Green Bean coffee shop for not only joining the event with their entire staff, but also bringing sweets for everyone to enjoy. We also thank Deem Communications for participating with their entire team and supporting the organizing of the event. This was an excellent day to elevate the concepts of corporate social responsibility and community volunteerism in Armenia.”
Other major partners that participated in the cleanup were the European Union delegation headed by Traian Hristea, the Lithuanian Embassy represented by Ambassador Erikas Petrikas, the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, VivaCell MTS, Birthright Armenia, Armenian Volunteer Corps, GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit), Synopsys Armenia, Fuller Center for Housing, Concept Studio, and Storaket Architectural Studio.
ATP also initiated a series of public tree planting events for Earth Day. Groups of volunteers planted fruit and decorative trees at community sites in Kotayk region on April 16 and 23, with other plantings scheduled later this spring.
Since its inception in 1994, ATP has planted more than 4.7 million trees, established 3 nurseries and 2 environmental education centers, and has greened villages, churches, parks, and open spaces throughout Armenia. In the process, the organization has provided employment for hundreds of people and provided vital resources to thousands of villagers throughout the country.
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