Every April since 2008 the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), in cooperation with Armenia’s Leading Mobile Operator VivaCell-MTS, has organized a huge Earth Day Campaign. This year’s campaign will again include numerous environmental activities in Yerevan and in the regions. The events will take place from April 1st through May 8th. The 2011's program of Earth Day Campaign today was announced at a joint press conference held in the Moscow House presided by VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian and the Founding Director of the FPWC Fund in Armenia Ruben Khachatryan. FPWC has produced a social TV advertisement for the campaign featuring Armenian celebrities, ranging from famous actors and pop singers to company leaders, that have agreed to join the campaign and speak in the spot about “their” Earth Day. The program of the 2011 Earth Day Campaign includes the premiere of FPWC’s film “95 Trees”, tree plantings in Yerevan and in the regions, a youth photo contest (open to youth up to age 17), garbage clean ups, and other awareness raising events. The film “95 Trees” was premiered in Moscow House immediately after the press conference. The film is a 30-minute documentary about the exciting journey of 95 tree seedlings from Western Armenia to Yerevan. Overcoming numerous obstacles, FPWC brought the seedlings to Armenia last year to be planted in Tsitsernakaberd Park. This year, aside from volunteering, people can join the campaign and help “green” Armenia by making a donation for trees. Donations can be made via Paypal through the “Plant your tree” link on www.sunchild.am. VivaCell-MTS subscribers can donate trees by sending an SMS under their name to 1059 (one tree = 1500 AMD). VivaCell-MTS will not charge a fee for the SMS donation so 100 percent of donations will be put towards purchasing trees. VivaCell-MTS and FPWC call all citizens of Armenia to join the Green Generation Campaign dedicated to the Earth Day! Involving children and youth, in particular, FPWC and VivaCell-MTS aim to change the common garbage collection and tree planting activities into a continuous and sustainable project. Due to the ongoing efforts of FPWC in partnership with VivaCell-MTS to establish environmental education and to raise awareness for nature protection the topic has now shifted into a salient topic on both the public and media agenda. “We all must instill in younger generation the understanding that natural resources are the greatest asset of the country, are not unlimited and should not be depleted. It is necessary to preserve our rich nature and keep it clean and pure as it is the most important precondition for us to live in a healthy environment. This is the reason why VivaCell-MTS, a business structure, joined hands with FPWC for realizing this project aimed at developing sense of responsibility in children by means of involvement in nature protection. As true responsibility is not only a theoretical attitude toward nature but also an action, behavior change, which is developed by teaching respective skills. This is what we are doing on a continuous basis”, commented VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian. Donors who fund ten or more trees will be showcased on signboards at the tree planting sites. They will also receive special certificates printed on unique, recycled, hand-made paper. This special paper is a handicraft product produced by the young members of FPWC’s SunChild Eco-clubs. Everyone who donates a tree for the Earth Day Campaign will also be able to track the very place where FPWC plants the tree via the webpage www.sunchild.am by entering his/her name in the search bar. One of the most remarkable events of the 2011 Earth day Campaign will take place on April 27th. Volunteers will collect the flowers and wreaths placed at the Genocide Memorial on Genocide Remembrance Day for recycling. The collected flowers will be dried carefully and used to decorate hand-made paper. Before FPWC implemented this new approach in 2010, the flowers placed by thousands of Armenians in memory of Genocide victims were dragged away like garbage. On May 8th, the Earth Day Campaign will conclude with a solemn tree planting ceremony at Yerablur, the Armenian Pantheon. FPWC invites all representatives of foreign missions, international organizations and international companies to participate in the tree planting ceremony at Yerablur and plant a tree for memory and peace.

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