Earth Day, on Tuesday April 22 (tomorrow), will be celebrated by a number of events in Sofia, Veliko Turnovo, Gabrovo, Plovdiv, Varna and other Bulgarian cities.
Information on various local environmental problems will be posted in the centre of Sofia throughout the day. A race involving bicycles, public transport and cars will start at 4pm and end at 5.30pm in Sofia’s University yard. This will be followed by a discussion on transport problems and forum-theatre. Sofia's University yard will also be the venue for a bike parade at 7pm, followed by a march starting at 7.30pm in front of the National Palace of Culture (NDK).
A concert will complete the Earth Day celebrations from 8.30pm onwards in Borissova Gradina park. Arabel Karakyan, Popara, Root Souljah, I Football I Shahmat, Gologan, Glasove na Vetrovete are among the musicians performing in the evening.
To Sustain the Nature in Bulgaria (SNB), Bikevolution and Bikearea associations – a coalition of 30 non-governmental environmental organisations – organised the events. SNB said that another reason for the celebrations is the fact that the European Commission accepted the petition for protection of Rila Mountain from construction, which has been signed by more than 150 000 people. A procedure to submit this to the European Parliament has also begun.
Information points will be available between 2pm and 8pm. News about cyanide use for gold extraction can be obtained in front of NDK. Information tables on over-construction at the Black Sea will be available at Sveta Nedelya square. Another table, revealing construction plans in the Bulgarian mountains, will be on display in front of the Ivan Vazov national theatre.
A table with materials about alternative transport and green city environment will be available in the yard between Parliament and Sofia University. A Bikevolution table on information about bicycle transport and its development in Bulgaria will open at 11am on the intersection of Vassil Levski and Patriarh Evtimii boulevards at Patriarh Evtimiii square.
The bicycle, public transport and car race will start at 4pm on four routes: Bulgaria boulevard to Orlov Most, Mladost 4 to Orlov Most, Stoudentski grad (student’s town) and Lyulin to Sofia University. Public Transport City Company is a partner in the competition and it will measure its buses’ time and speed. More information on how to take part in the competition can be obtained from bikevolution-bg.org.
At 2pm at Ariana lake the photo exhibition “Earth from Below” will also open as well as an Environmental Partnership Foundation information table about green areas between blocks of flats.
Plovdiv's residents will gather for celebrations at 6pm at Kopchetata. In Varna the meeting point is on Nezavisimost square at 6.30pm, in Veliko Turnovo – 6pm in front of the municipality and in Gabrovo – 6pm in front of the municipality.
Organisers call on people to take part in the events under various mottos: “Enjoy life – respect the Earth”. “The love of the Planet is also a joy above and beyond protests,” they said. The events in Bulgaria are also part of the world network earthday.net.
Earth Day is celebrated annually in hundreds of locations worldwide. In 2008, for the second consecutive year, organisers will mark the event by directing public attention to the problems of global warming. The demonstrators' abiding message: “Walk, use public transport or bicycle, or share your car with a colleague or with a friend, use glass bottles, shopping bags, eat local seasonal food and use clean energy.”
“Carbon dioxide emissions from the concert were neutralised in advance by planting 12 decares lime trees near the village of Dulboki in the region of Stara Zagora, in which 180 people took part,” local organisers SNB said.
