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The Dow Chemical Company
Dow is a leading science and technology company
that provides innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and
services to many essential consumer markets. With 39,000 employees and
annual sales of $19 billion, Dow serves customers in 162 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.
Dow is committed to pursuing a balance of
economic growth, environmental integrity and social responsibility - known
as the "triple bottom line" of truly sustainable business. The company
has been a leader in policy development for this concept since the early
1990s, through its involvement in the World Business Council on Sustainable
Development (WBCSD), the US President's Council on Sustainable Development,
and the company's own external Environmental Advisory Council, formed
in 1991. Dow was among the first in the chemical industry, and industry
in general, to report its progress and challenges toward achieving balance
in economic growth, environmental integrity, and social responsibility
with its Public Report 1999.
Dow also actively participates in Responsible
Care® since its inception in 1987. This is a voluntary initiative
within the global chemical industry to safely handle products from inception
in the research laboratory, through manufacture and distribution, to ultimate
disposal, and to involve the public in the decision-making processes.
Responsible Care goes above and beyond what is legally required
in most countries, and in January 1999, Dow signed on to the even more
stringent Responsible Care Guiding Principles with other members of the
US Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA). Among the principles is a
commitment to make continuous progress toward the vision of no accidents,
injuries or harm to the environment and to publicly report global health,
safety and environmental performance.
The Public Report 1999 report, along
with quarterly performance reports on Dow's progress toward the company's
aggressive, voluntary, global Environment, Health & Safety Goals for
the Year 2005, is available on www.dow.com.
Science education is an area where Dow firmly
demonstrates its commitment to social responsibility and to enhancing
the quality of life in the communities where it operates. Through corporate
contributions and the vast volunteer efforts of its employees, Dow has
given literally generations of support to a variety of worthwhile programs
in science education. As just one example, it would be difficult to count
the number of Dow employees and retirees who, almost since the company
began in 1897, have shared their passion for science by visiting classrooms
as part of company-sponsored "Scientist in the Schools" programs.
In 1990, the company formalized a strategic
commitment to support pre-college educational efforts focused on math
and science education, teacher development, and parental involvement,
with special attention to drawing minorities and women into the study
of science. In the last 8 years alone Dow has contributed $1.2 million
each year globally to these efforts.
In addition to programs supported on a corporate
level, Dow looks to its employees, through their community and volunteer
involvement, to bring worthwhile activities to the company's attention
for financial support. These activities typically include speakers and
career days; programs that help prepare minority youth for college education
and careers; science competitions; teacher summer workshops; teaching
materials; family science nights; pro-education advocate and business
coalition support; scholarships for special program participation; and
support for state and local programs.
Local efforts often tie into national programs
that Dow supports, typically partnering with private or government organizations
that share the same goals. Some of these include:
- The Hands-on Science Program - National Science
Resources Center (NSRC): Established in 1985, the NSRC is an educational
research and development, information dissemination and outreach organization
jointly operated by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy
of Sciences. The NSRC developed the model for implementing a hands-on
science program in local communities and also develops science modules
for grades one through six. Twenty-three Dow locations in North America
have participated in this program.
- MATHCOUNTS: A national
math coaching and competition program that promotes seventh and eighth
grade math achievement through grassroots involvement in all 50 states
and several US territories. MATHCOUNTS stimulates student interest
in math by making math achievement as challenging, exciting and prestigious
as school sports.
- The Presidential Classroom Scholars Program - Since
1968, this program has given the nation's most promising high school
students the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, DC to observe
the federal government at work, witness the development of public
policy and explore the roles of citizens, lawmakers, experts, associations
and businesses in the world's most successful democracy. Behind-the-scenes
seminars and discussions featuring members of Congress, Presidential
appointees, journalists and other Washington insiders and names in
the news.
- Keystone Summer Initiatives Workshop: This private,
nonprofit organization, located in Colorado's central Rocky Mountains,
has a mission to teach scientific principles to young people and teachers
with intensive hands-on natural science experiences. Study of multiple
ecosystems nurtures scientific inquiry and cultivates sensitivity
for the natural environment.
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