Busy 2015 Summer at AUA Acopian Center for the Environment and AUA Center for Responsible Mining

Yerevan, Armenia – Summer 2015 was a very busy period for the American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment (AUA ACE) and Center for Responsible Mining (AUA CRM). Team members working for both centers were busy at home in Armenia and also internationally, organizing seminars, providing environmental education workshops, presenting AUA in international settings, and much more. Below is a recap of the centers’ activities this summer. 

Environmental Education and Youth Outreach:
The Environmental Education and Youth Outreach program extended its borders to include Zikatar Eco Camp, organized by “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” Educational Complex (30 students participated) and Kalavan Camp (more than 100 students participated), organized by Time Land Fund, within the framework of Mamont-1 Intellectual Study Program (supported by World Vision Armenia and Rafael Foundation), where Marine Asatryan, AUA ACE Environmental Education and Youth Projects Coordinator, delivered the “Natural Environment and I” course.

Public Discussions:
AUA ACE hosted roundtable discussions and seminars both at the University, in Yerevan, and in marzes providing an opportunity for local actors to meet, learn, and engage stakeholders on environmental topics. These included a roundtable discussion on tourism competitiveness and natural resources (click here for AUA Newsroom article), mining national stakeholders’ roundtable discussion (click here for the article), and an open discussion on designing with data (click here for the article).

Green Academy:
Two representatives from Armenia, Alen Amirkhanian, Director of AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, and Nvard Manasyan, World Bank Education Expert, were lecturers at the Heinrich Böll Foundation Green Academy 2015 held in Tskaltubo, Georgia in August. The aim of the academy was to allow young Georgian environmental activists to learn about and explore possibilities of green political transformations in their country as well as finding opportunities to collaborate with peers regionally.

Mining:
                Study Tours: The US Forest Service organized a study tour for Armenian, Georgian, Azeri, and South American environmentalists and government officials on a study tour to show best practices in mining management, public-private partnerships, soil remediation, water management, and financial mechanisms (such as bonds and guarantees) for protection of the environment from mining activities. Mr. Garen Nazarian, Manager of the Mining Legislation Reform Initiative, a project of AUA CRM, and Ms. Lena Nazarian, Mining Community Monitoring and Outreach Coordinator at AUA CRM, participated in this study tour.

               Independent monitoring ramp up:

• A list of 105 communities located within 5 kilometers of tailing ponds, mines and mine processing facilities. Five communities were selected for the first phase: Alaverdi, Akhtala, Armanis, Kapan and Ararat. Tests will be carried out in these communities September-November 2015.
• AUA CRM is developing guidelines for soil, surface water and human blood sampling and testing based on standards set by RA legislation and international health bodies for the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) and Clean-up Levels (CL).
• AUA has invited national and international experts to be members of the AUA Center for Responsible Mining’s Independent Monitoring Technical Advisory Board (IM TAB).
• In the frame of the “Independent Monitoring of Mining Pollution” project conducted by the AUA CRM, two experts were hired — Environmental Toxicologist / Senior Researcher and Environmental Laboratory Technician.

              Mapping: Completed mapping mine and tailings sights.

              CRM Website: Completed the translation of CRM website into Armenian – crm.aua.am.

WASTEnet Scientific Conference:
AUA ACE co-organized the “1st International Scientific Conference on Sustainable Solutions to Wastewater Management Maximizing the Impact of Territorial Co-Operation.” 

BSBEEP Steering Committee:
AUA ACE Director Alen Amirkhanian attended the BSBEEP-Black Sea Building Energy Efficiency Plan’s Steering Committee Meeting (click here for more information about the project).

Summer Interns:
AUA ACE hosted 5 interns during summer 2015. Below is a credit to their works:

• Elen Karayan, 2nd year student at the AUA BA in Business program; she assisted in the translation of CRM website and did database updates.
• Ofelya Gyozalyan, 2nd year student at the AUA BA in Business program; she assisted in the translation of CRM website and did database updates.
• Maneh Kotikian, Birthright volunteer; she created Armenia’s river pollution indicating map for the years 2013 – 2015, as well as a Hydrogeologic Map of Armenia.
• Seto Cherchian, Birthright volunteer; he did research and delivered a presentation on vermicomposting, and organized a very successful debate in Kalavan Village Camp organized by the Time Land Fund.
• Asya Ghazaryan, graduate student at the Armenian National Agrarian University; she completed mapping of the Red Book of Armenia (for animals and plants). She became an ACE intern within the framework of the agreement of cooperation among GIZ Sustainable Management of Biodiversity Programme (SMBP), Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU) and the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment.

ACE team members and Kalavan Camp students

 
BSBEEP Steering Committee in Kavala, Greece

 
2015 Summer Interns. From left to right: Maneh Kotikian, Asya Ghazaryan, Seto Cherchian

Zikatar Eco Camp, where Marine Asatryan, AUA ACE Environmental Education and Youth Projects Coordinator, delivers «Natural Environment and I» course

 
Roundtable discussion on tourism competitiveness and natural resources

Participants of the GIS based Decision Support System for integrated resources management training program