OSCE field office in Syunik province organizes environmental action

YEREVAN, 13 October 2006 - More than 30 schoolchildren and local volunteers helped clean up some 2 hectares of land around the Vahanavank (King Vahan's Monastery) historic monument in the Armenian province of Syunik this week.

The action was part of an environmental awareness and cultural education campaign "Golden Autumn - clean and neat environment," organized by the OSCE Programme Implementation Presence in Syunik province and the Aarhus Public Environmental Information Centre in Kapan.

Special billboards with notices asking not to pollute the environment were also installed in the area. Children found out more about the history of the Vahanavank cultural complex, the preservation of biodiversity, climate change, local and international environmental laws.

"Ecological education is an important element in making sure children help keep our environment cleaner," said Garik Chilingaryan, Project Co-ordinator of OSCE presence in Syunik province. "Pollution in the province is mainly caused by the mining industry, but we often forget that all of us create household waste, which also pollutes the environment."