The Living Tree environmental contest at the Yerevan Zoo attracted over 500 hundred participants.

Organized by the Yerevan Zoo, the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) with support from its General Partner VivaCell-MTS, the contest aimed to teach children how to be ecologically friendly during the holidays.

Participants had to follow specific rules and create imaginative holiday decorations that are not harmful for the environment. Recycling used materials, such as water bottles, old CDs, was one way many of them crafted unique ornaments. The 3-member jury assessed the works based on their eco-friendliness, creativity, and originality.

“It is important that people start paying attention to the environment from a young age. Through these events we try to encourage children’s thinking about the nature and the role they will play in preserving it in the future,” said Yerevan Zoo director Ruben Khachatryan.

The name of the contest, Living Tree, also has a special meaning. Earlier this month, FPWC began a conservation campaign encouraging everyone in Armenia to celebrate the holidays with pine trees that come with their roots and soil in a pot. After the holidays, these trees can be replanted instead of being thrown away.