YEE Newsletter

Thanks to the funds collected by our past volunteer from Norway, nine families affected by the earthquake in Bartang received solar parabolic cookers.

"Little Earth" can be justly proud of its volunteers. Several years ago a blonde girl with big blue eyes from Norway - Helga Lerkelund, has joined our team. Helga came to Tajikistan as an international volunteer, and worked in our organization for a year. Within our projects, Helga visited some of the remote villages in Bartang river valley in Pamir where she met young activists and was fascinated by the beauty of nature and the hospitality of the locals. Later Helga returned back home to Norway where she continued to work in the environmental organization.

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Mountain areas are home to a high variety of species and are culturally very diverse. In addition to being an important source of natural resources, they also host different human activities, from agriculture, forestry to tourism. Although sometimes giving the impression of being invincible they are sensitive to human interference. Recently they have mostly been affected by infrastructure and tourism.

Slovenia has 3 main mountain ranges, roughly covering all sides of the country. Almost 10 % of the country is 1000 m above sea level. Mountaineering, hiking and skiing are the most popular pastime activities among Slovenians. The Alpine Association of Slovenia is one of the biggest non-governmental and voluntary organisations in the country with almost 55000 members. The highest peak Triglav is portrayed in the country's coat of arms. In conclusion, Slovenians are a mountain nation.

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In October last year, the family of 55-years-old Charog Yaftaliev that lives in remote mountain village Nisur of Rushan district of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region became the first to use a parabolic solar cooker - a simple device for cooking with the help of sunlight. It was made possible thanks to the project "Clean Energy" implemented by environmental organization "Little Earth" with the support of Naturvernforbundet.

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Can you introduce yourself?

I'm 24 years old and live in a small student's town on the German coast of the Baltic Sea, but I was born and raised in Frankfurt (Main). I am going to finish my studies of 'Landscape ecology & Nature Conservation - International' next summer, which are based on bio- and geosciences, supplemented by the fields of law, economics, ethics and land use. A mandatory year of studying and working abroad, which I spent in wonderful Estonia, is included, too.
In my leisure time I usually do some sports, meet friends, do voluntary work, enjoy doing nothing at all with a good book or music, travel around and much more.

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Can you introduce yourself?

I am Zara from Armenia. I am 24. Currently I am studying International Tourism in Armenia and will hopefully obtain my Masters Degree in December.

Which YEE member organisation do you belong to? What are the main activities of your organisation?

I am from Khazer NGO which is actively working on awareness raising on environmental issues in different regions of Armenia. However, we also implement environmental projects, such as installation of solar panels in schools, and restoration of river flow.

How did you get involved in YEE? What was your first impression about YEE?

I knew about YEE in 2011. We applied for membership in YEE and I was invited to present my organisation at Annual Meeting. When I came to the Annual Meeting 2012 I was elected as the External Relations Officer and I was re-elected 3 times on that position. This year I was elected as the Project Officer.

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Can you introduce yourself?

I'm Marieta (27) from Croatia and I currently work for a NGO ARGONAUTA which is situated on island Murter, Croatia.

Which YEE member organisation do you belong to? What are the main activities of your organisation?

Main activities of ARGONAUTA are:
- organising different seminars, workshops, presentations according to current projects,
- running Island Sustainability Education Centre – organising exhibitions, children educational and creative workshops, interpretation of natural and cultural heritage of Murter area to visitors of centre, creating publications and other promotional work for ISEC,
- development and implementation of different education programs (nature, environment) for preschool children,
- organising different voluntary actions in the community connected with sustainable development,
- managing volunteer work within organisation,
- networking with other local and regional stakeholders and international partners etc.

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Can you introduce yourself? 

Hey, I am Janis, I am 29 years old and I come from the middle of the Baltic states - Latvia. I am working in the organisation "Balta Daba" as a project coordinator and as a bartender in a small alternative bar in Jelgava city.

Which YEE member organisation do you belong to? What are the main activities of your organisation?

I belong to the organisation called "Balta Daba" what in translation means "white nature". So you can guess that it is all about the nature in our organisation. "Balta Daba" aim is to promote youth involvement in preservation and restoration of natural and cultural values. We organise hikes, lectures about the preservation of nature for pupils and river cleaning activities in different places in Latvia.

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Can you introduce yourself? 

I am 26 years old from England, born and raised. I work for a charity in London called Trees for Cities as its Community Engagement Coordinator. 

Which YEE member organisation do you belong to? What are the main activities of your organisation?

I come from Look East Wild Earth - a small organisation uniting British people who are curious and passionate about environmental projects in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We are a mixed bunch of people. LEWE has been active in different ways over the past 10 years depending on its members. It has been very successful in sending volunteers to various projects, including myself.

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I have observed a new upcoming tendency in Hungary, especially in our capital, Budapest. More and more people started to recognise the advantages and the power of sharing systems. We started to implement different methods of sharing into our daily life and this new phenomenon highly links/leads to environmental benefits as well. Let me elaborate how we, Budapest citizens, and our environment can profit in different scale from this socially- and environmentally-friendly way of living.

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First of all, a little information for starters:

I'm not a citizen of the town of Ohrid, but of Shtip, a smaller town located 300km from inarguably the most beautiful place in Macedonia. Still, regardless of not being faced on a daily basis with the continued destruction of Ohrid's environmental and overall identity, I am worried about its future, as every Macedonian should be.

If you stop a Macedonian on the street to ask what is the place that every foreigner should visit, he/ she will tell you without giving it a second thought: Ohrid and its lake.

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How old are you?

I turned 26 this summer.

Where do you live?

I have recently moved to Moscow after having lived in two other big cities of Russia: Omsk and St. Petersburg

What do you do (studies, work, etc)?

I am currently involved in a PhD program at Peoples' Friendship university of Russia, specializing in International Economics. Also I work for a company, which deals with management of shopping centres in Russia.

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