Kuwait City, Kuwait - 16 April 2011: Dow Chemical held the official launch of its sustained, year-long program entitled 'Dow's Marine Conservation Program' at Sulaibikhat beach on Saturday, April 16th. The multi-lateral Program holds the distinction of being the lead corporate patron of 'Al Yaal" - Kuwait's first nationwide marine conservation initiative developed by en.v - a leading Kuwait-based organization dedicated to social responsibility in the Arab world, in partnership with K'S PATH (Kuwait Society for Protection of Animals and Their Habitat). The Program realizes Dow's global core value of 'Protecting our Planet' and solicits greater civic responsibility. In Kuwait, Dow is spearheading the sustainability dialogue alongside en.v and encourages community stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices.

"At Dow we strive to be an active part of the communities we operate in and we look for opportunities to contribute to the betterment of the societies we are a part of," said Jamel Attal, Managing Director, Dow Chemical in Kuwait. "With en.v, the Dow Marine Conservation Program, is another step in fulfilling one of our core values; "Protecting our Planet." We had a great turnout and the volunteers did an excellent job in kicking off the program and we're looking forward to continuing the momentum."

The launch at Sulaibikhat beach mobilized the clean-up efforts of 33 volunteers from various non-profit, environmental and volunteer organizations such as the Kuwait Diving Team, the Climate Change Project, the Green Target Company, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS), Spread The Passion, and K'S PATH. Over 280kgs of terrestrial marine waste collected in biodegradable bags were methodically segregated into categories of plastic, metal, paper and miscellaneous for recycling. Approximately 6000 square meters of beach and shoreline were covered in four hours, with precautionary measures to preserve the natural habitat and marine vegetation. Site surveys and test clean-ups for the Program were held at Doha Beach and Um Almaradim Island recently, accumulating a total of over 200kgs of terrestrial marine waste, of which plastic bottles account for 50%.

"Dow's Marine Conservation Program has witnessed a positive response from different sections of the wider community, both at the Sualibikhat launch and at the test-clean-ups at Um Almaradim Island and Doha beach," said Zahed Sultan, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer, The en.v Initiative. "By being the first to launch their program, Dow has paved the way for other corporate entities who wish to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility and employee engagement in protecting Kuwait's rich and fragile marine ecosystem. The success of 'Al Yaal' rests largely with active participation from universities, schools, non-profit organizations, environmental groups, government bodies and corporate entities. We invite the entire nation to join hands in contributing towards protecting our marine resources."

Dow's Marine Conservation Program engages volunteer groups, government agencies and educational institutions in a concentrated effort to protect and restore the rich marine ecosystem of beaches along Kuwait's bay and the islands of Um Almaradim, Quaroh and Kubbar. These areas are abundant in marine life and coral reefs and serve as natural nesting grounds for turtles and migratory birds. Their fragile balance is endangered by indiscriminate disposal of direct and indirect man-made waste. While weekly terrestrial and underwater clean-ups conducted through waste management briefings and safety standards form the Program's reactionary component, an educational roadshow will sensitize private schools, public schools and universities to become active participants in protecting Kuwait's marine environment.

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About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow (NYSE: Dow) combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2010, Dow had annual sales of $53.7bn and employed approximately 50,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. 

About Dow in Kuwait
For nearly 15 years, Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company K.S.C. (PIC) of Kuwait have shared one successful milestone after another, partnering on six industry-leading joint ventures: EQUATE Petrochemical Company, MEGlobal, Equipolymers, EQUATE Marketing Company, The Kuwait Olefins Company (TKOC), and The Kuwait Styrene Company (TKSC). As the largest foreign investor, and the largest private employer of Kuwaiti nationals, through its JVs, in the petrochemicals industry in Kuwait, Dow has consistently promoted economic development and prosperity. Dow and PIC's joint ventures combine Dow's strong existing asset base, technology position and market presence. Dow's partnership with Kuwait's noted NGO, LoYAC is in line with Dow's commitment to the communities in which it operates. LoYAC is noted in Kuwait for its inspired, innovative youth education and activities program, such as Dow's sole partnership of the F1 Schools Challenge, support of LoYAC's award winning Drama Club and other youth developmental programs in Kuwait and abroad.

About en.v
en.v (a subsidiary of El Boutique Creative Group www.elboutique.com) is an initiative dedicated to social responsibility in the Arab world. en.v's primary objective is to seek out public sector bodies, private sector and civil society organizations in the region, document their efforts, and create interactivity between them towards developing a more thought-conscious society. Using formats that are appealing to the masses, en.v strives to develop mediums that entities can utilize as platforms for communicating their social efforts and engaging their respective stakeholder communities.

Join en.v online: http://www.envearth.com  
Join the en.v Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/env/265809271796?ref=ts  
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/env_initiative
Watch us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/envearth?feature=mhum

For more information, please contact
The en.v Initiative
Tel: +965 2252- 4614
Fax: +965 2252-4615
Email : env@envearth.com  
Web: www.envearth.com
 
Sager Albenali
Dow Pacific Holdings BV
Tel: +965 22 99 7979
Email: Albenali@dow.com  

Rosie Muhanna
Weber Shandwick Kuwait
Tel: +965 2232 2998 
Email: rosie.muhanna@ws-mena.com  

© Press Release 2011