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Dreams of Gananch
By Lori Suvajian
 I had never fantasized about the color green until I went to
Armenia. To think that a country could induce cravings for a
color was absurd to me, yet from my first day in Yerevan I
realized how much I had back in the States. Here in America,
we take trees for granted. We breathe their air and use
their shade without acknowledging their importance, without
realizing that some were planted for a reason. As a
17-year-old teenager, I had always assumed that trees grew
everywhere, that they required no care, and that they
generally weren’t a big deal. They say you don’t know what
you have until it’s gone, and before my trip, I had always
been reluctant to recognize the truth in that cliché.
Getting off the plane was literally the first step of my
wake-up call: Things cannot happen without action, and if I
missed the color green, it was my obligation to help bring
it back. Hence came my involvement with the Armenia Tree
Project (ATP).
The ATP is a non-profit organization with bases in
Watertown, Mass., as well as Yerevan, that works for the
reforestation of Armenia’s environmentally devastated areas.
Factors such as the fall of the Soviet Union, the
devastating 1988 earthquake, and the war with Azerbaijan
have caused fuel shortages in the country, leading to major
deforestation. ATP plants trees and shrubs throughout the
country, in both rural areas and urban locations, with the
hope of reviving Armenia’s damaged environment. The Project
understands that although our planet is experiencing a
global environmental crisis, Armenia is in especially bad
condition and needs our immediate help. Now that I’ve
visited the country myself, I’m beginning to understand
that, too.
Like many great charitable organizations, ATP’s goals are
simple yet challenging to achieve. Its top priority is
improving Armenia’s environment. Basically, the more trees,
the better. Trees attract moisture, so as the forests
disappear, it rains less frequently, making the country
increasingly hot and dry. Trust me, the temperature is high
enough already. Pollution is a major issue in Armenia, and
without trees, there is less fresh air to keep people
healthy. With the constant piles of trash I saw on the side
of the road, Armenia needs all the help it can get with
keeping the country clean. Finally, the trees help support
the ecosystems of local flora and fauna, which is important
if we want birds to sing and poppies to grow. Overall, the
trees are a critical part of the country’s survival, and if
we do not act now, Armenia will turn to dust in front of our
eyes.
In Armenia, I met with Anahit Gharibyan, the Project’s
Community Tree Planting manager, who would act as my guide
to some of ATP’s planting sites. We visited Andranik Park,
only recently transformed into an urban oasis by the
Project. The park, once tan, dry and totally uninviting, is
now a cool refuge for city dwellers. I saw a group of chess
players huddled beneath the shade, and appreciated the
practical impact the Project has had on people’s daily
lives. Across the street was a local church where the
Project had just begun planting. The young saplings, lined
up like soldiers, were beautiful in the promise they held:
Soon, they too would grow to protect people from the
scorching sun.
Next we visited the Karin nursery just outside of the
capital, where the trees I had just seen at the park
originated. Approaching the nursery, Anahit and I drove down
a bumpy dirt road with modest houses on either side. The
road was like countless others I had seen before my trip,
except that it was uniquely beautified by the presence of
trees. The nursery was located in a neighborhood of refugees
from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Along with improving the
surrounding landscape, ATP helps provide these families,
along with other poverty-stricken inhabitants throughout the
country, with homes and jobs.
Arriving at the nursery was literally a breath of fresh air.
Samvel Ghandilyan, the Nursery Program manager, guided me
through rows of trees and shrubs, which included everything
from apricot saplings to rose bushes. The plants, ranging
from young seedlings to trees as tall as my shoulder, were
waiting to be relocated. As I walked through the rows of
green, I felt as if the trees themselves were anxious to
start their new lives outside of the nursery. But once they
are effectively set free into the wild it takes continuous
care from ATP and local staff to keep them alive and
healthy—and this, of course, takes money.
Luckily, it only takes $15 to sponsor a tree. For less that
20 bucks, a person can buy a seed and ensure that it
receives enough care to stay healthy. Donation options are
available on ATP’s website, www.armeniatree.org, or by
calling its main number, (617) 926-8733, for more
information.
Reading about global warming in a textbook is not the same
as feeling its effect on your red, peeling skin. Learning
the percentage decrease of Armenia’s forests is not the same
as driving across endless dusty hills, scanning the
landscape for a patch of trees. When I was in Armenia, the
reality was in my face; I could not hide. Needless to say,
it is difficult to convey the severity of our homeland’s
problem through a newspaper article, but I must try, I must
do something. I hope my words will break down the walls of
apathy, of denial, and allow people to realize that we are
all responsible, and that we all should, and more
importantly can, help.
There is a problem. This is how we can fix it. This is how
we can keep Armenia alive.
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