Sunny weather and a host of attractions including the possibility of receving a seedling of an ornamental plant or a tree were among the reasons that attracted Varsovians on Sunday to participate in Earth Day -  an annual celebration devoted to showing appreciation for our planet and highlighting the need to preserve the environment. 
 
Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Danuta Isler
 
Among the exhibitors were representatives of Poland's 23 national parks and forests, ecological food producers and farmers as well as various NGOs working to increase the ecological awareness of Poles. This year’s event was held under the slogan “Protect the Earth with Energy”. During the day the organisers promoted the use of renewable energy and encouraged Varsovians to exchange their used electrical household appliances, bulbs and batteries for ornamental plants and ecoological shopping bags. The interest was enormous - five thousand seedlings of most spruce, pine and larch trees were handed out together with instructions from foresters.

Earth Day was first celebrated in Poland in 1990. Since 1996  the Foundation of the Ecological Education Center in Warsaw which coordinates its organisation managed to hand out over one hundred thirty thousand seedlings in exchange for ecological waste, collect about fifty tons of waste paper, seventy tons of used glass and thirty tons o used batteries