GLENDALE—The Glendale-based non-profit environmental advocacy organization, Green Armenia, will be hosting an awareness-building and fundraising walkathon on September 22 to support environmental projects in Armenia.
Participants will gather at Glendale’s City Hall at 1:00 pm, then walk to Verdugo Park (in Glendale) to join the festivities there for Armenia’s 22nd Independence Day.
The event is intended to raise awareness in the community about the dire environmental issues that confront the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. Information will be available at Green Armenia’s booth at the festival.
“Mining has been chosen by the government of the Republic of Armenia as a path to economic development,” a statement from Green Armenia says. “Yet, it is being practiced in a very destructive, exploitative fashion. We hope to remedy this problem by supporting projects that promote wise stewardship and sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. The objective is not simply to stop all mining, but to provide alternatives and make sure any mining is done in a safe and economically beneficial way.”
In addition to focusing attention on mining problems, the walkathon will serve as a fundraising vehicle for resources needed to make improvements in Armenia, according to Green Armenia.
As with most walkathons, participants will seek the sponsorship of friends, relatives or co-workers. Anyone interested can join the walkathon by going to the website, writing to the organizers at info@greenarmenia.net, or just showing up at the event.
“Our efforts are starting to get traction already,” says Alfred Eisaian, one of the organization’s founding members. “Green Armenia is receiving requests for support from our compatriots in the homeland for alternative economic development projects—such as beekeeping—activist efforts to build awareness in the affected areas, and even for doing nitty-gritty legal work that can help prevent the worst abuses.”
Eisaian adds, “People’s support and participation in Los Angeles translates into greater success in Armenia.”
Green Armenia is committed to raising awareness and providing scientific expertise in relation to environmental issues in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. Green Armenia is part of the Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America (AESA), which is a nonprofit 501(c)(3). AESA was established in 1983 and is based in Glendale, California, with chapters in other major cities. AESA is a non-partisan and non-sectarian philanthropic organization focused primarily on addressing professional, technical, and scientific issues.
