It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
In their book "Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice,"1 authors Paul Anastas and John Warner defined the twelve principles of Green Chemistry both as a learning aid and as a set of general guidelines for the practicing chemist. While the principles of Green Chemistry were written for the practicing chemist, the concepts conveyed by the twelve principles apply in a much broader sense to our world and our daily lives.
This web-based program was designed to explain green chemistry to a wide audience. The twelve principles are the core of green chemistry and they are used throughout this program to teach green chemistry. There are three contexts that the user is able to learn about the principles: In the Home, In the Lab, and In Practice. “In the Home” describes green chemistry within the context of the home and by analogy; using products that one would find in various rooms of your home. “In the Lab” describes green chemistry within the context of a laboratory, describing examples and practices that a chemist can learn from or implement at the laboratory bench. “In Practice” contains many examples of green chemistry in practice, many of which can be found being used in a manufacturing setting or found on the supermarket shelf.