How would YOU stop the littering problem in Armenia?

Armenian Litterbugs: A film by 15-year-old Ani Acopian

This July I took a trip to Meghri, Armenia, where I met a group of kids at their local swimming pool. I went swimming with them, and soon enough we got to know each other. In order to document the littering problem in Armenia, I turned my camera on, gave them ice cream, and watched as they carelessly threw their wrappers on the ground. The next day I made another visit dressed as the "Trash Police" and got all the kids to clean up the park around the swimming pool. I passed out trash bags and to my surprise they actually were excited about cleaning up. I rewarded them with ice cream--this time they threw away the wrappers in their trash bags! I hope that the little lesson I taught will stay with them. The smallest act can spark awareness. The Acopian Center for the Environment made this experience possible and today is working to raise awareness about conservation in Armenia. Learn how to help the Acopian Center.