MIDLAND, MICHIGAN – January 24, 2011 – Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive officer of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Mark Tercek, chief executive officer of The Nature Conservancy jointly announced today a new collaboration between the organizations to help Dow and other companies recognize, value and incorporate nature into global business goals, decisions and strategies. The senior leaders issued the news to some of the world’s foremost
business, environmental and sustainability leaders, dignitaries and media at the Detroit Economic Club.

The global organizations will work together to apply scientific knowledge and experience to examine how Dow’s operations rely on and affect nature. The aim of the collaboration is to advance the incorporation of the value of nature into business, and to take action to protect the earth’s natural systems and the services they provide people, for the benefit of business and society. One of the major objectives of this collaboration is to share all tools, lessons learned and results publicly and
through peer-review so that other companies, scientists and interested parties can test and apply them.

“This collaboration is designed to help us innovate new approaches to critical world challenges while demonstrating that environmental conservation is not just good for nature – it is good for business,” Liveris said. “Companies that value and integrate biodiversity and ecosystem services into their strategic plans are best positioned for the future by operationalizing sustainability. At Dow, we see sustainability as an adjective and one that we apply to almost everything we do: sustainable manufacturing, sustainable solutions and sustainable opportunities to constantly add to the quality of life for our communities and fellow citizens. Today, tomorrow, always.”

“This project is an example of the type of cooperation required to make real, long-term progress in protecting the earth’s natural systems and the services they provide people.” noted Tercek. “As the world population surges, it will take public and private sector collaboration like this to make the health of the environment not just an afterthought, but a fundamental consideration in everything we do in every part of our society. We hope that the results of this effort will demonstrate to other
organizations and companies that incorporating nature’s services into decisions is a responsible, smart and viable business strategy.”

Dow and its foundation are committing $10 million to this collaboration over the next five years. The Nature Conservancy will provide strategic, science-based counsel and technical support to help answer questions about the value and benefits of natural areas on or near where Dow works – such as the benefits of a forest to ensuring clean water for towns and factories, and the role natural wetlands
and reefs play in preventing damage from storms.

The collaboration will use scientific models, maps, and analysis for biodiversity and “ecosystem services” – the benefits that nature provides for people, like clean air, water, and food – and apply them to Dow’s business decisions. It will inform Dow on setting new policies and approaches in the areas of land and water management, siting considerations, the benefits of natural resources on Dow lands and waterways, and more explicit management of biodiversity. Scientists from both
organizations will implement and refine ecosystem services and biodiversity assessment models, initially, on at least three Dow manufacturing sites.

In addition to the news conference, The Detroit Economic Club hosted a live webcast featuring Liveris and Tercek. The webcast, moderated by TIME magazine’s Bryan Walsh, offered viewers unique insights into how the Dow-Nature Conservancy collaboration came together, the history between the organizations, the expertise each brings to the table and what the initiative aims to accomplish in the short and long term.

More information, including video of the webcast, will be available at the websites below following the event.

About The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.

Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.

About Dow
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 2009, Dow had annual sales of $45 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 214 sites in 37 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

For editorial information:
Greg Baldwin
The Dow Chemical Company
+1 989 636-0626
gbaldwin@dow.com

Mike McCaffrey
The Dow Chemical Company
+1 989 636-3045
mmccaffrey@dow.com

Blythe Thomas
The Nature Conservancy
+1 703 841 8782
bthomas@tnc.org