Armenian Environmental Network (AEN), a project of

Earth Island Institute The Earth Island Institute is a non-profit environmental group founded in 1982 by David Brower. Located in Berkeley, California, it supports activism around environmental issues through fiscal sponsorship that provides the administrative and o ...

(EII), is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

headquartered in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, with an office in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...

History

AEN was founded in 2007 as a response to a lack of environmental information available to

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

in the

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews afte ...

on environmental problems in Armenia. The Founder, Ursula Kazarian, and the Executive Director, Serda Ozbenian, are based in the United States. The Armenia office includes Armine Sargsyan, Armenia Office Director, and Armenuhi Nikoghosyan, Project Manager.

Mission and objectives

AEN serves a dual mission to: (1) Increase information sharing and distribution among Armenians in Armenia, the

Armenian Diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

and the wider conservation community; and (2) Facilitate partnerships through the responsible involvement of Diasporan and international resources to promote sustainable development in Armenia. This way, AEN is active in environmental problems in Armenia, and also creates a dialogue between Armenia and the Diaspora. In Armenia, AEN focuses on

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitori ...

through project implementation and education programs. The

Vardenis Vardenis ( hy, Վարդենիս) is a town and urban municipal community in the southeastern part of the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. It is located in the valley of the Masrik River, on the territory of the Masrik artesian basin at above ...

Environmental Education Initiative (VEEI), part of AEN's Waste Management Program,AEN's Integrated Waste Management Program was implemented with the goal of bringing environmental education into the classroom. Teachers of the Vardenis sub-region were trained on teaching methodologies, basic

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

, and waste management using the AEN Teacher's Guide, specifically developed for use in rural Armenia. Other projects include constructing Armenia's first modern landfill in the city of

Berd Berd ( hy, Բերդ) is a town and urban municipal community in the Tavush Province of Armenia. The town is located to the west of the Tavush river, from Yerevan, surrounded by low mountains. Near the city are the ruins of the Tavush fortress ( ...

. AEN also holds Youth Forums, which are designed to inform Armenia's youth from regions outside of Yerevan on

environmental issues Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

. In the United States, AEN is working to expand its activities in cities with strong

Armenian-American Armenian Americans ( hy, ամերիկահայեր, ''amerikahayer'') are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in ...

communities, with the hope to one day also expand to other Diasporan communities outside the U.S. AEN has organized environmental panel discussions in the U.S. since 2007, with topics ranging from

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban area, urban ...

and

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

, water and

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven ...

, and the role of transparency in environmental work.

External links

Official site

Armenian Environmental Network Facebook page

“What a Waste: Kirk Wallace at TEDxYerevanCHange”

“Kirk Wallace explains the Environmental Movement” on CivilNet TV

References

{{Reflist * https://web.archive.org/web/20140325174147/http://www.armenia-environment.org/integrated-waste-management-project-iwmp/ Environmental organizations based in Washington, D.C. Environmental organizations based in Armenia Waste management Armenian diaspora in the United States Yerevan Environmental education 2007 establishments in Armenia

History

Mission and objectives

See also

External links

References