UniCredit Bulbank will take part in the Earth Hour 2012 by switching off lights* of ten buildings in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Russe and Stara Zagora. Calculations show that around 70 kWh will be saved this way, but most importantly – it will reaffirm the bank’s commitment to the green idea.

Earth Hour, the global event against climate change, organized by WWF for Saturday, March 31, will cover 24 time zones, by switching the lights off at 20:30 for one hour, of cities, symbolic monuments, institutions, companies and houses around the world.

UniCredit will take part in this year’s issue of Earth Hour by switching the lights off of almost 50 of its representative buildings all over Europe. Bulgaria is one of the countries with the highest number of participating buildings of the European banking group. UniCredit is involved in the Earth Hour for the third consecutive year as an expression of the group’s commitment to combating climate change.

National Green Programme

The initiative of UniCredit Bulbank for participation in the Earth Hour is part of the National Green Programme of the bank.

As part of the programme, the project Green UniCredit Day was recognized as the Volunteer Initiative of the Year. During the Green Day in the end of October, around 300 employees of UniCredit Bulbank and their families planted 1 300 willow trees and around 1800 Rhamnus fnangula medicinal bushes more in Vitosha Park.

At the onset of the programme in 2008, almost 400 dca of forest were planted near Stara Zagora and over 30 km of main tourist walkways in Vitosha were recovered from “Aleko” hut to the village of Bistritsa, along the Yanchovska and Bistrishka rivers. In 2009, the bank funded the reconstruction of the eco pathway near the village of Borino, close the “Dyavolski most” rock phenomenon.

During the last year, the bank, together with the Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation, organized a competition for an ecological project, which was won by the National Park Association. In it, the bank funded with 5 thousand leva the purchase of photo traps, in order to observe the animal species and trace their habitats in six parks.

Together with that, the bank also started a massive campaign to eliminate paper statements and replace them with electronic ones. In 2011, the bank made the next step towards a greener environment by announcing that it will use only recycled paper for its advertising materials.

* Lights will be switched off observing all security measures.

More information for media:

UniCredit Bulbank, Identity & Communications Department

Viktoria Blajeva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 993, wjlj/ebwjepwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Magdalena Ivanova, Phone: + 359 2 9232 528, nbhebmfob/jwbopwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

More information for clients: UniCredit Bulbank, Call Centre Phone: 0700 1 84 84