Tweet
ATP Opens Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for Environmental
Studies in Northern Armenia
hetq
13:43, June 15, 2012
By Armine Tokhmakhyan
The board and staff of Armenia Tree Project (ATP) together with
Ohanian family members hosted the ceremonial opening of the new
Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for Environmental Studies in
Margahovit. Vice Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan and Lori Governor
Arthur Nalbandyan were the guests of honor at the ceremonial opening.
Following its successful model of the environmental education center
in Karin Village, ATP will host students, eco clubs, teachers,
farmers, and professionals from Armenia and abroad at the new Ohanian
Center in northern Armenia. The first beneficiaries of the center will
be the population of Lori and Tavush provinces. The educational
facility is located close to ATP's Mirak Reforestation Nursery, which
will allow theory and practice to be combined.
In his opening remarks ATP Managing Director Tom Garabedian stated,
`To construct a Center like this, you need a strong sense of mission
and purpose; you need the financial means for which we thank Mrs.
Virginia Ohanian and her family, and you need the cooperation of a
community which values learning and the importance of environmental
conservation. We fully expect that all of these elements are present
here.'
Commenting on the site, he added, `As it matures, the Center's
landscape will both beautify Margahovit and provide a hands-on
learning experience for the children of Armenia. We all want the youth
of Armenia to care for their environment, and this Center will play an
important role in educating them.'
During her speech at the opening, ATP Founder Carolyn Mugar recalled
the difficult years of the energy crisis when ATP was established. `In
the early 1990's, those terrible years of the blockade, when everyone
suffered from shortages of heat and energy, people had to cut down
trees to survive, stay warm, and cook. Tree stumps were everywhere.
ATP was born in the midst of those difficult times. People asked me,
`How can you plant trees when people need kerosene and milk?' It was
just at this low moment that we decided that now was the time to
invest in the future of Armenia!'
`Today we are opening the Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for
Environmental Studies,' added Ms. Mugar. `In this center, children and
students will learn that wood is a renewable resource if grown and
cared for responsibly. They can learn how crucial a sustainable
environment is to the future of a secure and thriving Armenia. We can
even ask, `Is the long term risk of mining which destroys forests and
pollutes rivers worth the cost?''
Ms. Mugar closed her remarks by extending her gratitude to Mrs.
Ohanian and her late husband Michael, who have been leading
benefactors of ATP since its founding. `I hope that their gift will
inspire others to give to ensure the viability and vibrancy of
Armenia,' she emphasized.
Governor Nalbandyan remarked that he greatly valued ATP's programs in
Armenia. `I would like to thank ATP for their hard work in Armenia,
especially in the Lori region. Their existence in Lori is of utmost
importance as Lori is otherwise a center of industrial mining,' he
explained. `I would personally like to thank the donors of ATP for
their support of sustainable development in Armenia.'
Father Dajad Davidian then performed a traditional blessing ceremony
for the new educational center. Schoolchildren from Margahovit
accompanied Der Dajad in the blessing ceremony by singing sharagans
and also drew pictures of the beautiful mountains nearby for the
guests.
Family members Gail O'Reilly and Charles Talanian, the niece and
nephew of Mrs. Virginia Ohanian, then unveiled the Center's plaque
with Carolyn Mugar to signal the official opening.
This year ATP celebrates its 18th anniversary. Through ATP's community
tree planting and reforestation efforts, more than 4,000,000 trees
have been planted throughout the country. ATP's environmental
education program extends to hundreds of teachers and thousands of
students in all regions of Armenia.
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, please
visit the web site www.armeniatree.org.
Home page
Print | ÕÕ¡ÕµÕ¥ÖÕ¥Õ¶
Studies in Northern Armenia
hetq
13:43, June 15, 2012
By Armine Tokhmakhyan
The board and staff of Armenia Tree Project (ATP) together with
Ohanian family members hosted the ceremonial opening of the new
Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for Environmental Studies in
Margahovit. Vice Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan and Lori Governor
Arthur Nalbandyan were the guests of honor at the ceremonial opening.
Following its successful model of the environmental education center
in Karin Village, ATP will host students, eco clubs, teachers,
farmers, and professionals from Armenia and abroad at the new Ohanian
Center in northern Armenia. The first beneficiaries of the center will
be the population of Lori and Tavush provinces. The educational
facility is located close to ATP's Mirak Reforestation Nursery, which
will allow theory and practice to be combined.
In his opening remarks ATP Managing Director Tom Garabedian stated,
`To construct a Center like this, you need a strong sense of mission
and purpose; you need the financial means for which we thank Mrs.
Virginia Ohanian and her family, and you need the cooperation of a
community which values learning and the importance of environmental
conservation. We fully expect that all of these elements are present
here.'
Commenting on the site, he added, `As it matures, the Center's
landscape will both beautify Margahovit and provide a hands-on
learning experience for the children of Armenia. We all want the youth
of Armenia to care for their environment, and this Center will play an
important role in educating them.'
During her speech at the opening, ATP Founder Carolyn Mugar recalled
the difficult years of the energy crisis when ATP was established. `In
the early 1990's, those terrible years of the blockade, when everyone
suffered from shortages of heat and energy, people had to cut down
trees to survive, stay warm, and cook. Tree stumps were everywhere.
ATP was born in the midst of those difficult times. People asked me,
`How can you plant trees when people need kerosene and milk?' It was
just at this low moment that we decided that now was the time to
invest in the future of Armenia!'
`Today we are opening the Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for
Environmental Studies,' added Ms. Mugar. `In this center, children and
students will learn that wood is a renewable resource if grown and
cared for responsibly. They can learn how crucial a sustainable
environment is to the future of a secure and thriving Armenia. We can
even ask, `Is the long term risk of mining which destroys forests and
pollutes rivers worth the cost?''
Ms. Mugar closed her remarks by extending her gratitude to Mrs.
Ohanian and her late husband Michael, who have been leading
benefactors of ATP since its founding. `I hope that their gift will
inspire others to give to ensure the viability and vibrancy of
Armenia,' she emphasized.
Governor Nalbandyan remarked that he greatly valued ATP's programs in
Armenia. `I would like to thank ATP for their hard work in Armenia,
especially in the Lori region. Their existence in Lori is of utmost
importance as Lori is otherwise a center of industrial mining,' he
explained. `I would personally like to thank the donors of ATP for
their support of sustainable development in Armenia.'
Father Dajad Davidian then performed a traditional blessing ceremony
for the new educational center. Schoolchildren from Margahovit
accompanied Der Dajad in the blessing ceremony by singing sharagans
and also drew pictures of the beautiful mountains nearby for the
guests.
Family members Gail O'Reilly and Charles Talanian, the niece and
nephew of Mrs. Virginia Ohanian, then unveiled the Center's plaque
with Carolyn Mugar to signal the official opening.
This year ATP celebrates its 18th anniversary. Through ATP's community
tree planting and reforestation efforts, more than 4,000,000 trees
have been planted throughout the country. ATP's environmental
education program extends to hundreds of teachers and thousands of
students in all regions of Armenia.
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, please
visit the web site www.armeniatree.org.
Home page
Print | ÕÕ¡ÕµÕ¥ÖÕ¥Õ¶