Memorial flowers given a second life
It is already the fourth year, the Yerevan-based Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) recycles the flowers laid at the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial during the April 24 symbolic march.
FPWC in cooperation with VivaCell-MTS and the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute has organized the symbolic Flower Gathering event at the height of the Genocide Memorial complex. The event took place with the support of many volunteers, including representatives of organizations and companies, as well as schoolchildren from Yerevan and regions. The young people sorted the flowers and disconnected the stems and petals. The stems will later be used as fertilizer for the memorial gardens while the dried flower petals will be recycled into paper and hand-made greeting cards.
Before 2010, each year the flowers left at the Memorial were burnt as garbage. To promote a more respectful and environmental solution for this problem FPWC implemented a new initiative in 2010 - Flower Gathering Event.
"With our participation, we contribute to the elimination of waste and paper processing," said 13-year-old Lilit Ghazaryan.
"We shred the paper into small pieces, fill them into a pot and add a little hot water to make the mass watery. Then we add glue, petals of rose or clove to make it more colourful," said Aram Manukyan.
Usually, visitors who come to pay tribute to the Genocide victims, join the move and help us in flower gathering and recycling," said FPWC's educational coordinator Hripsime Khachatryan.
Recycled paper is used in a very symbolic way, such as for thank-you letters and invitations to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.
