7.25.2006 - 01:35pm ET

(CSRwire) UNITED NATIONS -- Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), and Jin Zidell, founder of the Blue Planet Run Foundation, announced today a partnership focused on safe drinking water before an audience of dignitaries at the United Nations. The partnership also includes Dow's sponsorship of the inaugural Blue Plant Run®, a global endurance run around the world to raise awareness and funds for safe drinking water projects.

"Today, 1.2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. To put that in context, that number is approximately equal to the entire population of the world at the time our company was founded in 1897," Liveris said. "Our partnership with the Blue Planet Run Foundation is a signature investment in awareness and education of this key issue facing the global community."

"The lack of access to safe drinking water is a harsh reality that faces nearly 20 percent of the world's population," explained Zidell. "However, solutions exist that are affordable, achievable and sustainable. The partnership with Dow will enable us to expand the global awareness of this problem and increase the funds generated for implementing solutions."

The First Step Is A Run

The 2007 Blue Planet Run, the first worldwide event of its kind, will kick-off on June 2, 2007 to raise awareness and funds to support water projects around the world. Starting in New York City, 18 runners will run in a relay format around the world, traveling more than 12,000 miles in less than 100 days. The 2007 Run will visit 16 countries, including Ireland, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Canada and the United States.

"We are thrilled to be working with the men and women of Dow to deliver the inaugural Blue Planet Run," Zidell said. "Our goal is to bring safe drinking water to 200 million people by the year 2027 and the first step in achieving that goal is this Run. This is a movement to celebrate life and we are thrilled to partner with the men and women of Dow to begin this amazing journey."


Partnership Part of Dow's Commitment to Sustainability

In addition to the partnership with the Blue Planet Run Foundation, Liveris pledged the Company would reinforce its commitment to technologies designed to meet the needs of the 21st century for water development, purification and transmission technologies as part of its 2015 Sustainability Goals. Included in those goals are developing solutions for economically viable desalination and lower-cost technologies and business models for the managements of municipal water supplies.

Dow's 2015 commitments seek to create a positive impact beyond the footprint of the Company itself and achieve at least three breakthrough solutions in four critical areas affecting human life today: affordable and adequate food supply; safe and affordable housing; improved personal health and safety; and the sustainable water supply efforts announced today.

A full summary of Dow's 2015 Sustainability Goals are available at www.dowattainability.com.

About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and employs 42,000 people worldwide. 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.

About Blue Planet Run Foundation
Blue Planet Run Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising global awareness of the devastating effect that lack of access to safe drinking water has on the health and communities of one-fifth of the global population and of the existence of solutions to the crisis that are achievable, affordable and sustainable. Working as a catalyst and a bridge, the Foundation encourages responsibility toward the environment, and connects effective non-governmental organizations with funding to implement small-scale drinking water projects around the world. The Foundation's signature event for its awareness and fundraising campaign is the Blue Planet Run, an around-the-world relay event that starts June 2, 2007, and will be produced every two years thereafter. The Run is produced by ignition, Inc., a worldwide expert in global marketing tour management. Find out more on these website, www.blueplanetrun.org or www.ignition-inc.com

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