PRESS RELEASE: On the Forefront of Environmental Engagement in Armenia

Meet BR Alums in Action: Armine Sargsyan, Areg Maghakian, and Lena Tashjian

When it comes to Armenia’s current day challenges, many would agree that environmental protection ranks high amongst the priorities.  At the forefront of that campaign are three young, dynamic professionals, Armine Sargsyan, Lena Tashjian and Areg Maghakian, all of whom got a thorough introduction to Armenia’s needs while serving as Birthright Armenia volunteers.  All three were able to envision a role for themselves by engaging in work on the ground to address these needs, and now serve as effective leaders of environmental organizations in Armenia, namely Armenian Environmental Network, Go Green Armenia, and Armenia Tree Project. 

The Armenian Environmental Network (AEN) is a relatively new organization focusing on connecting Armenians and others in the worldwide conservation community to facilitate environmentally sustainable development in Armenia. Armine Sargsyan’s AEN involvement dates back to 2010 while based in Northern California. She was a Birthright Armenia volunteer in 2011, and when the offer for a Yerevan-based position with AEN was tabled, Armine knew the position was a perfect match when she learned that one of the organization’s main objectives in Armenia was to find solutions for solid waste management.  This was an area that deeply interested her, so she moved to Armenia in 2013 to lead the charge as AEN’s Armenia Office Director.

Armine explains the importance of size and power in numbers, “Armenia is a small country, so any environmental dysfunction will affect her entire territory. We need to be aware and vigilant, and we need to connect all those who are already involved in the sector as a force.  Pooling worldwide and local resources is critical, and Armenia is small enough whereby the right solutions can be implemented throughout the country.  There are proven international models that work well on a small scale, so we need to connect the dots of local government, resources, and technology to arrive at a winning solution in areas of Armenia that currently have no comprehensive waste management solutions.”    

Areg Maghakian, originally from Southern California, volunteered with Birthright Armenia in 2007.  After several months of volunteering, “It was simply a matter of the stars aligning”, as he knew very early on during his volunteer service that he’d be based in Armenia for the long term.

His prior involvement with the Armenia Tree Project (ATP) dates back over ten years, when he was a supporter of the Watertown and Yerevan based non-profit organization that works towards reforestation, sustainable development and environmental education in Armenia.  Fast forwarding to 2010, Areg was appointed as Deputy Director and two and a half years later he was promoted to Armenia Operations Director for ATP. He explains, “We work on both the macro and micro scale, partnering with the smallest remote schools to planting large swaths of the countryside.  Deforestation is a major challenge in Armenia, and dates back to when trees served as a substitute for heating fuel during the energy crisis in the early 90s.  Our goal is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve their standard of living and protect the global environment”. 

Currently Areg oversees a staff of several dozen employees, running nurseries and education programs in many regions.  “The future of Armenia depends on the health of her environment.  Our success will largely depend on having local communities understand the value of preservation and thinking green.  I’m heartened by many that want to partner with us, and care about their environment. Despite our progress, there is still a long road ahead, with much work to do and a lot of ground to cover.”

Areg has been in Armenia since 2007 with his wife, Nyree Abrahamian, also a Birthright Armenia alum, and their 18 month old son, Arame.

Canadian born Lena Tashjian volunteered with Birthright Armenia at Green Lane NGO in 2011, and extended her initial three month stay to continue working with their fresh produce market project.  She enjoyed listing the non-traditional items farmers were growing and began creating nutritional profiles on them in order to help market them.  The nutritional information was received really well, and she was a natural fit to be doing this kind of work.  Since becoming vegetarian and then vegan while living in Canada, she was researching all the food she was eating to make sure she was getting all the nutrients she needed.  Realizing she had a strong interest in nutrition, Lena went to school to become a certified nutritionist. 

“During my volunteer work with Birthright, I began to focus on farmer profiles, interviews, taking their pictures, listing what they grow on our item list, and again, that was well received.  It encouraged me to continue creating links between the food we eat and the farmers who are producing the goods”, she explains. So as the Green Lane market project ended in June 2013, Lena clearly saw its potential and the benefits of having it thrive. She received permission to extend the project, but was told it needed to be separate from Green Lane, alas the impetus for a new entity to be created. 

“Carolin Baghoomian from Boston and I co-founded “Go Green Armenia” in late July 2013, with the primary goal of supporting Armenian farmers by selling, marketing and delivering their produce to people in Yerevan.  We focus on chemical-free agriculture and also support farmers who grow non-traditional items like kale.  In addition to focusing on the sale of food items, we also sell other natural products as well, for example, a woman’s handmade, herb-based soaps with plants straight from her backyard. When we find interesting items like this that fit our general mandate, we make sure to include them in our item list to spread the word about these interesting projects and help them garner support”. 

Lena and her partner also want to have an aspect of the business dedicated to agro-tourism. “Our vision for the future includes focusing more on events, including organizing farmer's markets outside of the city center, monthly vegetable picking events for seasonal fruits or vegetables, and also events where people can come and watch how the natural soaps are made.  We think it is wiser to focus on events and introduce people directly to those producing or making the food products or items, all the while keeping a market aspect to our business,” explains Lena.

Armine, Areg and Lena are just three of 60 Birthright Armenia alums who live in the Republic of Armenia currently.  The solid waste management, reforestation, and produce to market projects highlighted in this story are just a few of the numerous success stories that encapsulate the long-term engagement our alums have with the Homeland, long after their volunteer service ends.  To learn more about Birthright Armenia please visit www.birthrightarmenia.org. 

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Jpeg montage (from left to right):  Birthright Armenia alums Lena Tashjian (Go Green Armenia), Areg Maghakian (ATP), and Armine Sargsyan (AEN) as environmental leaders in today’s Armenia!