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PRESS RELEASE
April 2, 2010

New Edition of ATP’s ‘Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree’ Manual Outlines Lessons
to Understand Environmental Issues and Identify Practical Solutions

YEREVAN–Armenia Tree Project launched a new and expanded edition of its
"Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree" environmental education manual during a public
program at the American University of Armenia on March 26, 2010. The
presentation took place at AUA’s Alex and Marie Manoogian Hall and the event
was supported by the Acopian Center for the Environment.

"Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree" was introduced in 2005 when ATP published
Armenia’s first teacher’s manual for environmental education, compiled and
written by Dr. Karla Wesley. It received approval from Armenia’s National
Institute of Education and the Center for Curriculum Development of the
Ministry of Education and Science for integration into the secondary school
system. The OSCE Yerevan Office partnered with ATP and supported the
publication of the manual.

"Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree" quickly gained in popularity among teachers
and schoolchildren. Since 2006, ATP environmental education staff has
trained teachers in different regions of Armenia and the manual became an
indispensable part of their classes. Already more than 820 teachers
throughout Armenia have been trained on using the manual in their classroom.

Last year, ATP worked with teachers and experts from the National Institute
of Education to make the manual fully compatible with official curriculum
standards in Armenia. The manual was enriched with lessons on climate
change, starting a youth eco-club, civic engagement and the environment, and
other topics.

"The most important thing for ATP was that teachers and especially children
liked this education manual. We should teach our children very early on to
love nature," stated ATP Yerevan Director Mher Sadoyan at the March 26
event. "This book is a useful tool to achieve this goal, especially since
the lessons are cheerful and interactive. It is designed to incorporate
elements of fun in the learning process and to maintain the enthusiasm of
children."

Representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
United Nations Development Program, World Wildlife Fund, and National
Institute of Education participated in the presentation along with a number
of environmental NGOs, teachers, and supporters.

Carel Hostra, Deputy Head of OSCE, noted in his speech that he placed great
value on the new environmental education manual. He thanked ATP for the
tremendous work it had done and expressed his delight in being a part of
this initiative. "The manual is important as it doesn’t dwell only on nature
protection, but also emphasizes the responsibility of individuals towards
nature protection. Let’s change the world starting with ourselves," stated
Mr. Hostra.

After ATP Environmental Education Program Manager Alla Berberyan presented
the new edition of the "Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree" manual, several
teachers in attendance expressed their appreciation for its publication. Ms.
Berberyan pointed out that this was a completely new step for teachers in
Armenia. "The teachers have taken a lead role in the elaboration of the
manual, became deeply familiar with the modern methodology standards of
education, and gained the relevant knowledge and skills to create a new
teaching tool," emphasized Ms. Berberyan.

"This manual is a precious gift for the ones that are engaged in ecological
issues and environmental education. One of the best things about this manual
is that it is designed for students starting from 7-8 years and up to high
school," stated Emma Melkonyan, a biology teacher in Yerevan.

"The majority of the lessons in this manual are practical classes,
experiments, and excursions that make lessons more interesting. In such an
environment, students understand their role in ecological issues and come up
with practical solutions," she continued. "Although the solutions can be
simple or sometimes idealistic, they are radiant in ways that lead to the
elaboration of eco- friendly thinking."

The second edition of ATP’s environmental education manual, "Plant an Idea,
Plant a Tree," is available at the following link:

Sin ce 1994, Armenia Tree Project has planted and restored more than
3,500,000 trees at over 800 sites around the country and created hundreds of
jobs for impoverished Armenians in tree-regeneration programs. The
organization’s three tiered initiatives are tree planting, community
development, and environmental education. For additional information and to
support ATP’s mission, visit the web site