News Release

May 24, 2011 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Sustainability Thought Leaders Gather for Virtual Conference Addressing Global Water Challenges

Sixty Speakers in 60 Minutes will Offer Insights and Solutions to Global Scarcity, the Water-Energy Nexus and Aging Infrastructure

MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to recent estimates, approximately 5.3 billion people – two-thirds of the world’s population – will suffer from water shortages by 2025.¹ To bring attention to the global water crisis, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) today announced it will bring together thought leaders actively working on global water issues in a virtual conference, to provide insight into how chemistry, along with other fields, sectors, and stakeholders, can meet the challenge of supplying the world with clean and sustainable water.

Comprised of 60 influential water industry practitioners, non-profit leaders, media, professors and authors from all over the world, the 60-minute “The Future of Water” virtual conference will provide a platform for experts to offer various perspectives and insights on global water supply and management, global scarcity, aging infrastructure, the water-energy nexus and the human dynamics behind meeting the global water challenge.

“Dow is pleased to host The Future of Water virtual conference and help move the conversation forward on global water issues, as we believe the key to sustainable development is found at the intersection of chemistry and collaboration,” says Neil Hawkins, Vice President of Sustainability and Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) for The Dow Chemical Company. “This event provides a forum for experts on a variety of topics within the water debate to share their perspectives and then work together to solve an increasingly complex problem.”

Stemming from all walks of life, and touching on a variety of themes related to the international water challenge, the 60 speakers will share a sense of the big picture, as well as the on-the-ground reality of the global water crisis, with online participants. Featured speakers include Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen Fund; Jeff Seabright, Vice President for Environment and Water Resources at The Coca Cola Company; Lisa Nash, CEO of Blue Planet Network; and William Reilly, Chairman of Global Water Challenge.

The virtual conference will take place on Tuesday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET and is available to anyone – at no cost – at http://futurewecreate.com. Leading up to the event, visitors will be able to view and share a trailer previewing the conference as well as see a full listing of conference speakers. Conference participants will also have the opportunity to interact with featured speakers and other participants via digital and social media channels, adding their voices to the overall dialogue on the global water challenge. Follow The Future We Create on Facebook and Twitter to participate.

The Future of Water is the second virtual conference in The Future We Create series. The first virtual conference, The Future of Women in Chemistry and Science, was held on March 1, in alignment with Women's History Month. Additional The Future We Create virtual conferences will take place in 2011 and beyond as part of Dow’s commitment to help encourage interest in chemistry among young people and to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of the science during the International Year of Chemistry (IYC).

About Dow

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 deliver 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 $53.7 billion 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. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

¹ Blue Planet Network