WASHINGTON, DC - The Dow Chemical Company and The World Resources Institute have announced that Dow is joining the Green Power Market Development Group. The announcement was made jointly during the Sixth Sustainable Enterprise Summit in Washington, D.C., March 13, 2003. "I congratulate Dow on joining the Group's efforts to build corporate markets for green power," said WRI president Jonathan Lash. "This is a demonstration of true environmental leadership and will help advance a clean energy future."

The Partnership Objective
The Green Power Market Development Group's goal is to expand awareness of and markets for cost-competitive renewable energy by providing objective information and recognition for those making it their choice for energy supply. "Dow has a heritage of efficient use of energy in our manufacturing processes," said Peter Molinaro, Leader of Dow's Global Climate Change Team. "Dow practically invented co-generation of steam and electricity. Our participation with WRI will help us fulfill our commitment to finding, developing, and increasing our use of competitively priced renewable energy."

Dow's First Green Power Source
Recently, Dow signed a contract to capture and use landfill methane at its Dalton, Georgia polyurethane, latex and polystyrene manufacturing plant. Dow will take approximately 240 billion Btu per year of landfill gas from a county-owned landfill, located two miles from the plant, and use it in place of natural gas. The landfill gas will be used to generate steam for general manufacturing purposes. This amount of energy is equivalent to the same amount electricity used in approximately 2100 average U.S. homes annually. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced using this renewable resource.

This use of landfill gas will avoid the emissions of more than 27 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year. The carbon dioxide emissions avoided are comparable to keeping 2,300 cars off the road annually.

This will not be the only or last such application for Dow as investigations into the use of other renewable sources of energy are ongoing. The company is currently examining wind power, and fuel cells, along with other landfill gas projects as it pursues more sustainable energy production and reductions in greenhouse gases. Dow will begin using this new source of energy during the fourth quarter.

The Green Power Market Development Group
Convened in 2000 by WRI, the Green Power Market Development Group (www.thegreenpowergroup.org) is a unique commercial and industrial partnership dedicated to building corporate markets for green power. The Group is transforming energy markets to enable corporate buyers to diversify their energy portfolios with green power and reduce their impact on climate change. The Group seeks to develop 1,000 megawatts (MW) of new, cost-competitive green power by 2010.

Competitive marketers are now offering green power to retail and wholesale customers in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and several New England states.

Dow is a leading science and technology company that provides innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $27 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 170 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of Sustainable Development, Dow and its approximately 50,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. For further information, visit Dow's website at www.dow.com.

OLD - Dow Chemical Company

OLD - Dow Chemical Company

With annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.