The “Environmental Pavilion” Project of the Environmental Education Micro Project Competition, Successfully Completed

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KOTAYK, Armenia — “Environmental Pavilion” a project initiated and implemented by Gohar Movsisyan, a teacher of Teghenik secondary school, was successfully completed in June 2016.

The primary aim of the project was to create a pavilion, which would enhance the awareness of local people about the environment and its key issues. People learned how to sustainably use natural resources and contribute to environmental preservation. Moreover, the gathered group of people were introduced to and participated in preparation of composting and vermicomposting.

The pavilion has been operation since April 2016, and was constructed by volunteers in the community. In June, 12 students from Teghenik secondary school and 14 students from Arzakan secondary school toured the pavilion. Ms. Movsisyan conducted a seminar on waste management. The training modules developed by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Armenia Tree Project were used during the seminar.

Children remarked that one of the most thrilling experiences of the pavilion was composting. Ms. Movsisyan hopes to cooperate in the future with different organizations and to establish a wider range of activities inside the pavilion.

The project was one of the 10 winners of the Environmental Education Micro Project Competition. The winning projects represent the best from a pool of 130 applications from across the country. The competition was administered by the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment. A selection team, comprising of EEN members, reviewed and made the final decisions on the competition’s winners.

The project report, presentation, and evaluation in Armenian can be accessed here.

       

The competition is financially supported by the Norwegian Embassy Small Grant Program. The aim of the Norwegian grant is to develop environmental education capacities in Armenia, including the establishment and strengthening of the Environmental Education Network (EEN), a learning partnership between civil society, educational institutions, government, and international organizations.

 The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment (AUA ACE), a research center at the American University of Armenia, promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. AUA ACE’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity and conservation, greening the built environment, clean energy, and energy efficiency, as well as information technology and the environment.