São Paulo, Brazil - March 13, 2009
Dow Brasil SA., the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Brazil, and Ocean Futures Society do Brasil signed an agreement officially establishing USAID's support for the Ambassadors of the Environment program, an environmental education and sustainability initiative aimed at children across Brazil.
"Dow has been working with Ocean Futures Society on educational efforts worldwide for many years and we are now pleased to have recognition and partnership of USAID in this developing geography," said Pedro Suarez, president of Dow Latin America. "Sustainability requires making every decision with the future in mind, thus investing on education and youth is a priority for Dow."
Located adjacent to Dow's industrial facility at Guarujá, in the state of São Paulo, and conceived through partnership between Dow and Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society in Brazil, the facility and programs have been developed to focus on biodiversity and ecology principles and raise awareness among youth about environmental preservation and natural resource management.
When fully operational, the project is expected to benefit 800 students per month, from which a large number will come from disadvantaged communities. The support from USAID/Brazil consists of technical assistance and a total of US$ 50,000 for the acquisition of computers, uniforms, special accessibility needs and laboratory equipment required to carry out the educational programming.
The first program of its kind in Latin America, the educational and environmental content, which includes examples of sustainable living, ecological hikes, snorkeling, laboratory work, slide shows and group discussions, has been developed in accordance with the Brazilian Ministry of Education's guidelines.
The Ambassadors of the Environment initiative is the first step of potential partnerships to be developed between USAID and Dow to expand corporate social responsibility, and social and economic development actions. The public-private agreement also represents the continuity of a series of partnerships following the Global Development Alliance (GDA) model to be developed by the USAID, within the portfolio of corporate social responsibility initiatives from U.S. companies of the +Unidos group.
These innovative partnerships build on the technical expertise and community engagement spirit of American investors in Brazil. With AID support, The Dow Chemical Company and others will continue to expand and focus these partnerships for the most meaningful and sustainable local impact.
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For Editorial Information:
Paul Oakley
Dow Brasil S.A.
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