On October 26, 2023, a Green Club's 3rd meeting was held in Asparez Press Club Hall in Gyumri, Armenia. The purpose of this meeting was to present to the Club members the “Module 3: Water/Wastewater”.
The event was attended by 19 participants, including representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the region, the local government of the Gyumri community, the NGO sector, and the project staff of REC Caucasus, who serves as the National Implementing Partner. (LoP presented in the Annex 1)
UNIDO National experts, Green Club Facilitators Tigran Sekoyan and Dshkhuhi Sahakyan, who analyzed the issues raised in their enterprises during the previous two meetings with the participating SMEs of the Green Club, which were related to the environmental profiles of organizations and energy saving, once more spoke and present in detail the features of the RECP methodology, as well as introduced the outline of Module 3 “Water/Wastewater” and Water resource use efficiency measures as an RECP benefit for the business.
D. Sahakyan spoke on the topics of Water Resources and Global and National Issues, presenting the continuous growth of global water demand, the current level of water use, and the reasons for the increase in water demand in industrial and domestic sectors.
The speakers also addressed the challenges related to wastewater availability and the increasing demand for water use in production, highlighting the industrial sector as a significant contributor to wastewater generation.
National water sector challenges were discussed from various perspectives, including:
- Implementing comprehensive measures to mitigate the impact of climate change on water resources and adapt the economy to evolving environmental conditions.
- Managing the issuance of water use permits in consideration of climate change-related risks.
- Evaluating the influence of climate change on groundwater resources.
During the presentation, Mr. T. Sekoyan elaborated on business concerns within the sector, emphasizing the advantages of water conservation, reduced water consumption, and improved water usage efficiency. He also shared practical business examples showcasing the effective selection and utilization of water resources, drawing from the experiences of Armenian organizations that have benefited from the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) program.
At the end of the session Green Club Facilitator explained the next steps of the Green Club, assignments for the next workshop, and data collection on water/wastewater in the participant’s organizations.
After the meeting, the RECP Green Clubs Technical Experts team conducted visits to the "TOOP" waste recycling company (Gohar Harutyunyan Individual Entrepreneur) and "Eco Tomato" Greenhouse (Village Meghrashat) operating in Shirak Marz, identified as participants of the Green Clubs initiative. The purpose of these visits was to familiarize themselves with the production capabilities of these enterprises and conduct an initial/preliminary assessment of their activities.
