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ATP GREENS ANOTHER 75 COMMUNITIES
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/12/17/atp-greens-another-75-communities/
December 17, 2012
YEREVAN--During the winter of 1992 while visiting Armenia,
philanthropist Carolyn Mugar saw that thousands of trees were being
cut for fuel, and families desperate to heat their homes were even
burning their own furniture to stay warm. She committed to preventing
further deforestation by founding Armenia Tree Project (ATP) in 1994.
Nurseries were established in Karin and Khachpar villages, and the
Community Tree Planting (CTP) program emerged to plant high quality
fruit and decorative trees at urban and rural sites throughout the
country.
"
src="http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1O1.trans.gif"
data-lazy-src="http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ATP-Planting-at-School-190-300O225.jpg"
width="300â~@³ height="225â~@³ />
ATP's CTP program planted another 28,383 trees at 75 sites throughout
Armenia and Artsakh this fall. Students are pictured here planting
trees at Yerevan School No. 190 on Nov. 14.
This fall, ATP's CTP program planted another 28,383 trees at 75 sites
throughout Armenia and Artsakh. "ATP's SEEDS (or Social, Economic,
and Environmental Development for Sustainability) program is wrapping
up its reforestation programs in northern Armenia, so the total
number of trees planted by ATP will be even higher by end of year,"
explained CTP Program Manager Arthur Harutyunyan.
"It's remarkable to think that since 1994, ATP's programs have reached
327 cities, towns, and villages out of a total of 915 in the entire
country. In all of these places, we have greened 931 sites," noted
Harutyunyan. "Of course we hope that, through the ongoing commitment of
our supporters in the diaspora and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, that we will eventually reach every city and village."
ATP uses a stringent site selection process in order to ensure
the highest possible survival rate for these trees, which averages
nearly 80 percent at CTP sites. "When a community requests trees, we
visit the site and inspect the soil conditions and the availability
of irrigation water," explained Harutyunyan. "More importantly, we
determine the level of interest and commitment of the local community
to the trees. This provides an indicator for the care that these
trees will receive."
Several high-profile plantings were completed this fall in partnership
with Synopsys Armenia, HSBC Bank, and the US Peace Corps. ATP has been
planting trees with HSBC Bank Armenia since 2007, and the company
recently sponsored the planting of another 124 trees in the Vahakni
District of Yerevan.
As part of a Synopsys program to plant "one tree for each employee,"
hundreds of employees joined their families to plant 1,000 evergreens
at the State Engineering University and the Synopsys Armenia Education
Department grounds in Yerevan.
"Since Synopsys first established a presence in Armenia in 2004, it has
strived to be a good corporate citizen here. We have contributed to
the progress of Armenian society by helping to improve the country's
educational system and by implementing other assistance programs. The
planting of these trees is particularly significant, because their
growth symbolizes our sustained investment in Armenia," said Synopsys
Armenia CEO Rich Goldman.
Another notable event was a series of plantings dedicated to the 20th
anniversary of the U.S. Peace Corps in Armenia. ATP donated 40 trees
for planting in the communities of Argel and Karashamb. "Twenty trees
were provided for each location to mark the Peace Corps milestone,"
Harutyunyan said. "The trees were planted at the school in Argel and at
Karashamb Community Center by schoolchildren, Peace Corps volunteers,
and the local community. Another volunteer requested trees for the
school in Nshavan Village, so we provided another 40 ash trees to
celebrate this special occasion."
ATP's mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees
to improve their standard of living and protect the environment,
guided by the desire to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the
fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP's
three major programs are tree planting, environmental education,
and sustainable development initiatives. For more information, visit
the web site www.armeniatree.org.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/12/17/atp-greens-another-75-communities/
December 17, 2012
YEREVAN--During the winter of 1992 while visiting Armenia,
philanthropist Carolyn Mugar saw that thousands of trees were being
cut for fuel, and families desperate to heat their homes were even
burning their own furniture to stay warm. She committed to preventing
further deforestation by founding Armenia Tree Project (ATP) in 1994.
Nurseries were established in Karin and Khachpar villages, and the
Community Tree Planting (CTP) program emerged to plant high quality
fruit and decorative trees at urban and rural sites throughout the
country.
"
src="http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1O1.trans.gif"
data-lazy-src="http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ATP-Planting-at-School-190-300O225.jpg"
width="300â~@³ height="225â~@³ />
ATP's CTP program planted another 28,383 trees at 75 sites throughout
Armenia and Artsakh this fall. Students are pictured here planting
trees at Yerevan School No. 190 on Nov. 14.
This fall, ATP's CTP program planted another 28,383 trees at 75 sites
throughout Armenia and Artsakh. "ATP's SEEDS (or Social, Economic,
and Environmental Development for Sustainability) program is wrapping
up its reforestation programs in northern Armenia, so the total
number of trees planted by ATP will be even higher by end of year,"
explained CTP Program Manager Arthur Harutyunyan.
"It's remarkable to think that since 1994, ATP's programs have reached
327 cities, towns, and villages out of a total of 915 in the entire
country. In all of these places, we have greened 931 sites," noted
Harutyunyan. "Of course we hope that, through the ongoing commitment of
our supporters in the diaspora and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, that we will eventually reach every city and village."
ATP uses a stringent site selection process in order to ensure
the highest possible survival rate for these trees, which averages
nearly 80 percent at CTP sites. "When a community requests trees, we
visit the site and inspect the soil conditions and the availability
of irrigation water," explained Harutyunyan. "More importantly, we
determine the level of interest and commitment of the local community
to the trees. This provides an indicator for the care that these
trees will receive."
Several high-profile plantings were completed this fall in partnership
with Synopsys Armenia, HSBC Bank, and the US Peace Corps. ATP has been
planting trees with HSBC Bank Armenia since 2007, and the company
recently sponsored the planting of another 124 trees in the Vahakni
District of Yerevan.
As part of a Synopsys program to plant "one tree for each employee,"
hundreds of employees joined their families to plant 1,000 evergreens
at the State Engineering University and the Synopsys Armenia Education
Department grounds in Yerevan.
"Since Synopsys first established a presence in Armenia in 2004, it has
strived to be a good corporate citizen here. We have contributed to
the progress of Armenian society by helping to improve the country's
educational system and by implementing other assistance programs. The
planting of these trees is particularly significant, because their
growth symbolizes our sustained investment in Armenia," said Synopsys
Armenia CEO Rich Goldman.
Another notable event was a series of plantings dedicated to the 20th
anniversary of the U.S. Peace Corps in Armenia. ATP donated 40 trees
for planting in the communities of Argel and Karashamb. "Twenty trees
were provided for each location to mark the Peace Corps milestone,"
Harutyunyan said. "The trees were planted at the school in Argel and at
Karashamb Community Center by schoolchildren, Peace Corps volunteers,
and the local community. Another volunteer requested trees for the
school in Nshavan Village, so we provided another 40 ash trees to
celebrate this special occasion."
ATP's mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees
to improve their standard of living and protect the environment,
guided by the desire to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the
fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP's
three major programs are tree planting, environmental education,
and sustainable development initiatives. For more information, visit
the web site www.armeniatree.org.
From: A. Papazian