February 1, 2010

DuPont Public Affairs Manager Mary Kate Campbell addressed the 78th Winter Meeting in Washington (DC) on January 20 and announced the opening of the 2010 USCM-DuPont Lead'safe for Kids Sake program. Through this program, DuPont has put close to $5 million in initiatives designed to reduce elevated blood lead levels across the country. DuPont will award a total of $375,000 in grants to cities that propose the most promising and creative lead safety programs. Deadline for applications is May 7. Winners will be announced in June at the Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City. DuPont is a Platinum partner of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Campbell also gave an update on the state of the Cities United for Science Progress (CUSP) partnership between DuPont and the Conference of Mayors, and highlighted some of the specific programs that DuPont is working on with mayors. For nine years, DuPont has partnered with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to bring science, education and resources to assist mayors in making their cities safer, smarter and healthier. Campbell described some of the new and innovative ways DuPont brings advanced technology to cities to improve the landscape of cities for years to come.

DuPont's Science in the School Day program is a popular program among mayors, where mayors partner with young DuPont engineers to present science to school children in an accessible and entertaining format. Through CUSP, the USCM and DuPont have been to over 150 cities and almost 400 schools with the Science in the School Day program. Over 30,000 elementary school children have learned what it is like to be an "engineer for the day." For eight years, DuPont has brought this program to several schools a month. Bridgeport (CT) Mayor Finch participated in the program the week before the Winter Meeting.

Campbell updated the Conference on DuPont's efforts towards improving sustainability, both within the company and as part of the CUSP partnership. DuPont's efforts in creating the Mayor's Climate Change Center are a continuation of 20 years of work towards eradicating environmental degradation. In the past year, DuPont applied their expertise to the Mayor's Climate Protection Center by working with Conference staff to offer technical assistance on an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant response to the Department of Energy, which would assist mayors in the deployment of solar energy.

DuPont's efforts towards environmental sustainability have taken a turn towards job creation as well in the past year. As a leading material and technology supplier to the photovoltaic (PV) industry, DuPont has used their position in the industry to partner with mayors in invigorating local economies. DuPont joined with Circleville (OH) Mayor Chuck Taylor and announced a $175 million expansion to their facility that will result in an increased production of Tedlar film — a critical component of solar modules. Tedlar films are widely recognized as the industry standard and provide long-term durability and performance for solar panels in all-weather conditions.

This landmark expansion will result in 70 new jobs and will create approximately 230 construction jobs over the course of the project. In August, DuPont announced expansions at their facilities in Louisville (KY) and Fayetteville (NC) where DuPont makes raw materials for Tedlar. With the announcement, DuPont invested almost $300 million in the photovoltaic market. These investments are all a part of the Photovoltaic Solutions' Solar Technology Education Program (STEP), another piece of the CUSP partnership in which DuPont shares their expertise with mayors who have the desire to increase solar adoption in their cities.

Beyond working to protect the environment, Campbell announced DuPont's extraordinary advances in technology used to protect those who protect our citizens, those who serve as law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders with innovative products that enable them to perform their jobs as safely as possible. Products like DuPont Kevlar and Nomex advanced fibers and Tyvek nonwovens are used in body armor, helmets, turnout gear and other protective equipment used by first responders.

Campbell described the new DuPont Kevlar XP patented technology, which stops bullets faster and is more comfortable to wear. The average bullet resistant vest is made of many layers — up to 40 layers in some cases. This can make the vest heavy and cumbersome. New Kevlar XP provides bullet resistance in the first three layers of an 11-layer vest with even greater trauma protection. Hopefully, more officers will choose to wear these vests for longer periods of time, resulting in more lives saved. And DuPont Nomex On Demand is the first "smart fiber" technology that protects lives. For example, when a firefighter enters an area where the temperature is at least 250 degrees, Nomex On Demand expands automatically to trap more air and provide 20 percent more thermal protection.

If mayors wish to have Science in the School Day come to their city or are interested in having DuPont offer free technical assistance to any of their solar efforts, contact Alexander Cochran at 202-661-6364 or send e-mail to alexander@bgrdc.com. Mayors will be mailed the application for Lead'safe for Kids' Sake, or it can be downloaded from the website www.cusponline.org.