Trees in Tanzania

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South Africa – May 10, 2001 — Dow announced today that it will donate $1.2 million for a sustainable development pilot program with its initial implementation site in Mpwapwa, Tanzania. Phase II of this three-year program will enable the planting of 1.5 million trees in East Africa. The pilot program, titled the Tanzania International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST), is expected to reduce famine, improve agricultural techniques, enhance the natural environment of the area, and increase economic development.

"This is so much more than a tree planting project," says Dow's President and CEO Mike Parker. "The Tanzania program is a true sustainable development initiative, because it helps to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability for future generations to thrive.

"TIST also can help us learn more about what we can do through partnerships to promote and encourage sustainable development in areas where we have limited commercial interest or experience," he says.

"TIST started out as a need to win the battle of the 'feast or famine' syndrome," says Barbara Gothard-Thompson, Geographic Public Affairs leader, Africa. "The program was designed to reforest the local area and improve farming, but the benefits are much farther reaching than that. The most important benefit is TIST helps people help themselves."

Other partners in the project are Clean Air Action Corporation and the Institute for Environmental Innovation. "TIST also has a potential commercial value, because well-managed forests can become an economic resource," says Ben Henneke, president of Clean Air Action Corporation. "As the trees grow and flourish, program participants will receive the direct physical benefits of increased shade, reduced erosion, flood control and fruit from the trees.

"One of the best things about Dow's commitment to this project is that they bring worldwide business expertise and human resources to improve already exciting projects. Dow's announcement today is a clear statement of the company's commitment to sustainable development principles," says Henneke.

The project currently is in its second phase. All three program phases should be completed in late 2005. As the project goes forward, Dow will track and measure the impact of its contribution to determine how TIST meets its Guiding Principles for Sustainable Development. There also may be commercial opportunities for Dow businesses that emerge in the future.

Dow's funding of TIST is made possible through a grant from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation. For more information about TIST, contact Gothard-Thompson at +1 202 429-3428.