BASF sponsors Earth Day events at EDCO Park
Celebration marks 10-year anniversary, promotes environmental education

EVANS CITY, Pa., April 19, 2005 -- On Saturday, April 30, the Evans City community will come together for the 10th Annual Earth Day Celebration at EDCO Park. BASF’s sponsorship of this event continues a 10-year tradition of supporting local Earth Day activities in conjunction with the Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) Committee.

With a theme of “What We Do Adds Up,” the family-oriented event takes place from 12 – 4 p.m., rain or shine. The celebration includes environmental education exhibits, presentations from local emergency service groups, free refreshments and door prizes awarded every 30 minutes. BASF employees will be available to answer questions about the company’s Evans City site and its operations.

Each year, BASF employees and local volunteers work together to get EDCO Park ready for the event. This year, BASF teamed up with Girl Scout Troops #422 and #415 and Boy Scout Troop #403 to mulch and plant flowers, do general park maintenance, and prepare tree seedlings for distribution the day of the event.

“This Earth Day event provides area residents with a hands-on opportunity to get to know one of the biggest companies in the area,” said Cheri Deener-Kohan, President of the Evans City Council and lifetime resident of the city. “It also gives visitors a chance to learn about recycling and ways to save both energy and water. I think it’s wonderful that BASF is interested in giving back to the community in which its people live and work.”

Like previous Earth Day celebrations, this year’s event showcases posters created by area students. This year, fifth graders from Evans City Middle School are creating posters with the event theme “What We Do Adds Up.” The CAER Committee will judge the posters, and the winners will be announced during an assembly at the Evans City Middle School on Wednesday, April 27. The winners will receive ribbons, U.S. savings bonds and cash prizes. The overall winning design will be featured on this year’s official BASF Earth Day T-shirt, distributed to all fifth grade students at the school.

“These annual Earth Day activities have become an important part of this community,” said Ulrich Bueschges, BASF’s Regional Business Unit Director. “At BASF, we are not only committed to helping make products better, we are committed to helping make the communities in which we live and work better as well. We are proud of our support of Earth Day and our continual efforts to help make for a better environment.”

Earth Day Celebrations have become an annual tradition, attracting more than 750 people in past years. This year, exhibitors include the science department from Mars Area High School, who will feature a ground water display, “Annie” the barn owl from the Moraine Preservation Fund, and City of Butler firefighters with a safety trailer that simulates severe weather conditions.

Products from the Evans City site are used mainly in the pharmaceutical industry, and are also used in applications like agrochemicals, surfactants, adhesives, polymers, electronics, flavors fragrances and automobiles.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 10,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $11 billion in 2004. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF’s intelligent solutions and high-value products help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. In 2004, BASF had approximately 82,000 employees and posted sales of more than $50 billion. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF), Paris (BA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

For more information, contact:
Mark Finch
BASF
Tel: (724) 538-1275
E-mail: finchm@basf.com

Maureen Paukert
BASF
Tel: (973) 245-6077
E-mail: paukerm@basf.com