Eco-Friendly activities in the Republic of Armenia

Republic of Armenia is the landlocked country on the crossroad between Europe and Asia (southeastern Europe/western Asia, east of Turkey, north of Iran and south of the mountainous Caucasus region (Transcaucasia), which also does not remain indifferent from the global environmental challenges. Global environmental challenges are effected and linked to the local issues, such as loss of biodiversity, over-use of natural resources and environmental and health issues, poverty and the sustainability of ecosystems. In order to minimize these issues SyunikDevelopment NGO under the patronage of Armenian Apostolic Church (www.syunikngo.am) has its modest contribution to reduce environmental challenges in the Southern Armenia.  
During many years Syunik NGO was the main initiator to raise awareness of the population on ecological issues and the global challenges. Environmental awareness rising has been carried out not only through trainings and workshops (Global warming, Recycling, Eco products, Eco friendly Technologies, Ecological degradation), but also through the practical activities involving community members and parishes from different regions with the approach of “learning by doing”. Within these initiatives five green zones have been created in the rural and urban communities, almost 5000 trees have already been grown in the Noravank gorge and the newly planted 10 Christmas trees by the German priest are come to fill the commitment and our responsibility for the Creation and spread the massage of the Jesus Christ ''We reap what we sow''. 
Ecological issues are linked all spheres of life and as long as it goes issues become more and more, especially in the areas where agriculture is a major sector of the economy and the source of people's income.Taking into consideration the principle that human being is not only the owner but also the servant of the nature, therefore our task is to illustrate most environmentally-friendly possible practices to our local farmers, establish eco-friendly gardens, use organic treatment for pests, how to recive compost instead of burning leaves /people in Armenia have bad costum of burning the leaves in Fall and in Spring/. Many people are skeptical about these possible methods, but demonstration plot founded by Syunik NGO serves the best example for the whole region and promotes the creation of such gardens.  
Through ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, we are contributing to the strengthening of resilience and reduction of disaster losses by encouraging communities to minimize actions that result into disasters like landslides and floods. Therefore, in the high areas of the mountains, we are planting trees and in the low laying areas, we have equipped people with skills to dig trenches to reduce on effects of flooding and soil erosion. 
One of our last initiatives was establishment of solar drying unit for dryfruits offering a promising alernative to produce high quality marketable products, which is chance to to minimise Post-Harvest losses and improve the economic situation of the farmers as well as to increase a sustainabe way of food processing.   
Syunik NGO has been awarded by Energy Globe National Award 2013 for the project of “Agent for Changes’’. Within this project we have managed to organize garbage collection in the territory of ten cultural monuments and churches, organizing ten worships and awareness raising forum-theatres in isolated communities of Armenia. 
Now, we are taking actions to establish environmental department at the Syunik NGO to enlarge the scope of environmental projects and establish potential environmental impacts associated with solar power and continue our overall interventions in the environmental field. 
 
 

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