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Green Chemistry & Engineering (GC&E) Conference
June 6, 2022 @ 8:00 am - June 8, 2022 @ 5:00 pmJoin our community at the Green Chemistry & Engineering (GC&E) Conference, June 6-8th online...
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New York Professional Learning Team Meet-up
June 6, 2022 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pmJoin us for monthly meet-ups from 5pm – 6pm ET to collaborate with peers in the creation of NY...
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Advanced Green Chemistry: Connections to Our World
June 13, 2022 - August 8, 2022If you’re looking to expand your students’ horizons and support their project-based lear...
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A Teaching and Learning Community for Green Chemistry and a Healthier Future
Teachers and educators are developing an exciting new community dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators and scientists.
Jonathon Moir
As our world faces existential threats such as climate change and ocean plastics, educators play a critical role in equipping students with the knowledge and skills to build a healthier and more sustainable future for our planet. Green chemistry is an upstream, preventative, solutions-oriented approach to creating a healthier future. Through the application of green chemistry, scientists and innovators can prevent the generation of pollutants and toxic compounds before they’re ever released into the environment or exposed to humans and animals, rather than cleaning up those pollutants afterward.
To enable and inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators to work sustainably, green chemistry must be taught widely in science and chemistry education programs. Cue the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC), a joint initiative by Beyond Benign and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute.
Being developed in collaboration with educators from across the U.S. and the world, the GCTLC will be a central online space where teachers, industry leaders and students can share best practices and resources, connect and collaborate, receive mentorship and feedback, and help each other through peer-to-peer learning.
In this Q&A, GCTLC Program Manager Dr. Jonathon Moir shares the goals, structure, and progress of this exciting new community.
What is the GCTLC?
Jonathon Moir: The GCTLC is a virtual online community space set to launch in 2023 that will help transform chemistry education programs across the globe. It will include a library of open-access green chemistry education materials, spaces for online collaboration and networking, discussion forums, and more.
Our mission is to create, develop, and nurture a diverse and accessible online community of practice that fosters a strong sense of belonging. We want to support open collaboration, networking, mentorship, and resource-sharing between members of the scientific community to advance the integration of green chemistry across the education continuum. We hope to build a teaching and learning community that empowers responsible global citizens with the knowledge, skills, and tools to transform science education, address grand challenges, and ensure a sustainable future for all.
Why is the GCTLC being formed using a “Community of Transformation” model?
JM: One of the most effective methods for reforming STEM education and addressing challenges is through communities of transformation (CoTs). CoTs are related to communities of practice, but create much more profound and deep, meaningful change; they consist of groups of individuals who share a common philosophy and embody that philosophy in their day-to-day work. They form a network of peers that can support each other in making change, allowing members to provide mentorship and guidance to one another, and in so doing not only change the way education is practiced but fundamentally transform how teaching is thought about and approached, permeating all aspects of it (from assessments to lecture slides to lab skills development to contextualization of course material). For more on this, I recommend watching Beyond Benign Executive Director and Co-Founder Amy Cannon’s talk on the GCTLC and Communities of Transformation.
Who is leading the development of this initiative?
JM: Developing a platform such as the GCTLC requires a dedicated and cross-disciplinary team on the administrative side, which is being led by Beyond Benign and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute. Last year I joined Beyond Benign to lead the GCTLC’s planning, development, launch, and growth, and the experience has been incredibly rewarding. Getting to work with educators and community members who are passionate and dedicated to green chemistry (more so than in any other sector I have encountered) is truly inspiring. I wanted to deeply understand the needs of the community to help make the platform a success, and so immediately began connecting with stakeholders and partner organizations across education and industry.
The GCTLC Leadership Committee was formed at the beginning of the project and has been the heart and soul of the program. The committee includes 20 members from various areas across education (postsecondary learning, K-12, industry, and information management) and from diverse backgrounds and geographies. This group has been working diligently through subcommittees, with each group focused on a strategic action for the GCTLC platform, namely:
- Developing, distributing, and sharing accessible, high-quality green chemistry education resources;
- Creating opportunities for open collaboration, networking, and mentorship;
- Driving awareness and adoption of green chemistry; and
- Ensuring Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Respect (DEBR) within the community and on the GCTLC platform.
What is the timeline for the launch of the program?
JM: The program is set to launch in 2023. Last year we focused on strategy, community-building, and research. Now with our strategic priorities set and our leadership committee and subcommittees in full swing, we will begin the development of our online platform. The GCTLC will host online spaces for collaboration, networking, mentorship, and peer-to-peer learning for educators, students, and industry stakeholders, as well as a searchable online database of green chemistry education materials. Additional features will include discussion forums, working groups, event listings, job boards, and more. The timeline is approximately 12 to 16 months from start to launch.
The subcommittees of the Leadership Committee will also be hard at work over the next year laying the groundwork for the new platform. This will include finalizing recommendations for resource submission and review criteria for the online library; assessing the needs of various audiences; recommending peer learning and mentorship, as well as professional development opportunities and functionality for GCTLC users; and advising on issues related to DEBR in online communities of practice.
Lastly, we’ll be working on outreach to build our community through virtual networking, online presentations, and in-person presentations at conferences throughout the summer and fall.
How can I learn more?
JM: To stay up to date on our progress, sign up here. And most importantly, please invite your colleagues to join you. Our community is being built for you and by you, and we want everyone to benefit from it! If you have any questions or would like to collaborate on this initiative, please reach out to me!
A Teaching and Learning Community for Green Chemistry and a Healthier Future
April 8, 2022
Teachers and educators are developing an exciting new community dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators and scientists. Jonathon Moir As our world faces existential threats such as climate [...]Categories: Green Chemistry Education, Higher-Ed, K-12
How Green Chemistry Helps High School Students Connect to Science Lessons: A Conversation with Teacher Johanna Brown
Johanna Brown
Johanna Brown is a chemistry teacher at Pullman High School in Washington. A passionate educator with an eye toward the future, Johanna has made green chemistry lessons an essential part of her students’ curricula, and she’s also supported other teachers in their green chemistry education.
We talked to Johanna about her background in education and how green chemistry has made her students more engaged in the classroom. As Earth Day approaches, we’re celebrating the connection between green chemistry principles and our ongoing commitment to being stewards of our environment. As Johanna says, “every day is Earth Day.”
Beyond Benign (BB): Tell us a little bit about your background. Why did you become a science teacher, and what motivated you to start learning about and teaching about green chemistry?
Johanna Brown (JB): From a young age, growing up in Spokane, Washington, I have always been very concerned about our planet and all of the living things on it. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do but thought deeply about healthcare. In high school I had a teacher tell me that I would make a great teacher, and I brushed him off, ready to get into STEM in college. At the end of my chemistry program at Western Washington University, I realized that the lab was not my destiny and ended up working at WSU in Residence Life, where I (not surprisingly) helped with a campus-wide sustainability competition. I was teaching a leadership class there and tutoring chemistry when it all clicked, and I knew I needed to go back and get my teaching certification.
I’ll admit that while earning my chemistry degree and early in my teaching, I had the ideas of sustainability and chemistry completely separate in my mind. Once I learned about the 12 principles of green chemistry and how they could be embedded into my classroom, it felt like such a natural pairing. I have now taken both of the Beyond Benign Green Chemistry courses, and those really amped up my ability to teach in this context. Then, seeing how sustainable chemistry is such a natural fit with the NGSS has spurred me to write my own green lessons and labs.
BB: Why do you think it’s important for teachers to incorporate green chemistry principles into their science classrooms?
JB: Green chemistry is just a no-brainer to me. Teachers, students, and all living things benefit from using materials that do not harm us or our environment. Using more benign and everyday chemicals has the added benefits of making lab clean-up a breeze and much cheaper. Since I don’t need to purchase many lab-grade chemicals from specialty suppliers, I can grab consumables for a much lower price at my local grocery store. I do often have to explain why I am buying 100 pixie stix, dry ice, and liquid starch at the same time.
What I didn’t expect at first, and what I have found the most important for my student learning, is that green chemistry is more applicable to students’ lives. While getting that gorgeous yellow lead (II) iodide precipitate to form is attention-getting, students don’t form a strong connection with that phenomenon. If we are truly going to teach the NGSS, we need to embed our instruction in situations that they can connect to. Think IMFs with washcloths and absorbance, stoichiometry with fuel calculations, bond energy and activation energy with candles. I now tend to use videos to show the more flash-bang type of demonstrations while having students really get their hands on safer substances that they can actually connect with.
Students in Johanna’s science lab
BB: In the time that you’ve been involved in green chemistry teaching and training, have you noticed any trends in teaching?
JB: I am happy to report that we are definitely moving away from the old demo-a-day, lecture, test algorithm that was seen in many chemistry classrooms from the past. As more and more schools truly commit to the NGSS and dig into the standards, it is clear that the model of stand-alone content areas is history. The chemistry classes of today need engineering practices, earth science, and application to name just a few additions. I think the interest will only keep growing as we better acknowledge the science of keeping our planet habitable.
BB: Tell us about your background leading green chemistry trainings.
JB: I have to say that I am very lucky to have great friends and colleagues. After attending a training session at the Washington Science Teacher Association state conference, I got connected to Saskia Van Bergen, who works out of the Washington State Department of Ecology. Her office sponsored half of my Beyond Benign High School Summer course and after that, she had the idea to put together some in person training for people in Washington State. We had planned for a great day of green chemistry in Spokane for May of 2020. That didn’t work out, but we pivoted and ended up writing three different sessions for high school, middle school, and elementary school and presented them virtually (and hands-on, we mailed out packets!) sessions. We did this in the summer of 2021 as well, and our middle school session has now been developed into a self-paced course via ClimeTime funding and Cari Haug, a science coordinator in central Washington.
Through these we have reached hundreds of Washington teachers at every level, and I was so amazed at our feedback. I think many teachers want to address climate change and ideas of sustainability but aren’t sure where to start. We offered immediately implementable activities that teachers are now doing in their classrooms, and some of them are even designing their own place-based lessons!
BB: What advancements do you think are most necessary in order to get green chemistry into more classrooms?
JB: The labs that Beyond Benign have are great ways for teachers to get started. As more and more schools are heading toward phenomenon-based learning, we need to create high-quality instructional materials that are three-dimensional and unit-based that focus around an aspect of green chemistry. As always, I think that many people are interested, we just need to lower the activation energy for them to try it, so to say.
BB: Earth Day is coming up! Do you have anything special planned for your classroom?
JB: I am more of an “every day is Earth Day” sort of person. After the exam, AP Chemistry will do a full environmental chemistry unit, studying polymers, plastics, water quality, and air quality. My classic chemistry course will be looking at food waste that day and how food waste heading to a landfill vs. a compost has different effects on the Earth. Find it here!
How Green Chemistry Helps High School Students Connect to Science Lessons: A Conversation with Teacher Johanna Brown
April 8, 2022
Johanna Brown Johanna Brown is a chemistry teacher at Pullman High School in Washington. A passionate educator with an eye toward the future, Johanna has made green chemistry lessons an [...]Categories: K-12
Seeding Inspiration and Action for a Sustainable Future through Green Chemistry Higher Education
Education is central to creating lasting change in any movement. Through green chemistry education, we can catalyze technological innovations that result in less hazardous materials, products and processes in support of a sustainable, healthy society. By offering access to a broad and supportive community of chemistry experts and a flexible framework for green chemistry curriculum and training, Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) is helping transform chemistry education in college and university chemistry departments.
Cintia Milagre is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Chemistry at University Estadual Paulista in Brazil, a GCC signer. Cintia believes finding sustainable solutions should be a commitment we all make to the planet we call home, and she advocates for sustainability both within the university and in her community.
In this Q&A, Cintia speaks with Beyond Benign about the importance of green chemistry in education and the GCC, and shares some of the impacts she’s seen this critical work have on students.
Beyond Benign (BB): Why does the Institute of Chemistry at UNESP believe teaching students green chemistry principles is important?
Cintia Milagre (CM): Training the new generation of chemists to be aware of their socio-environmental role with the planet is paramount. When we teach the principles of green chemistry to students in the early years and this knowledge is consolidated over the following years, we provide them the means and tools necessary to reinvent chemistry to meet sustainable development demands.
BB: Can you share some of the ways you’ve seen green chemistry impact students’ educational experiences and connection to chemistry?
CM: In 2021, Professor Humberto Milagre and I taught the course “Sustainable Chemistry,” where we addressed the principles of green chemistry, and the relationship between chemistry and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the end of the course, the students were divided into small groups to present a project in which one or more principles of green chemistry could be used in the chemist routine. This experience was fantastic. We had projects that addressed greener chemical processes and reactions, projects involving experiments for undergraduate chemistry labs, and projects centered on outreach activities. Some projects focused on important incremental innovations, while others were more audacious.
During the project presentations, the discussions were vibrant. The class came up with suggestions on implementing green chemistry practices in their routine, ways to circumvent the challenges, and strategies to convince the most resistant people that green chemistry is viable.
BB: How did you see this experience translate beyond the classroom?
CM: Some students reported that they were already putting the teachings into practice in their work environments. One of the students, an intern at a chemical company, said that she presented the principles of green chemistry and proposals to implement some specific changes in the project she was working on in one of her team meetings, and that the team started to discuss how to make such changes feasible. Another student is considering organizing a new student chapter at the Institute of Chemistry, whose pillar will be Sustainable Chemistry.
BB: How do those student experiences go on to impact their future careers and the world?
CM: In addition to the excitement of all students with the green chemistry topic, we had students from the previous year planning to execute their course projects in “real life” at the beginning of 2022.
These students develop critical thinking skills on the topic of green chemistry, and the feedback from the students is very positive. I’m sure all of them are now committed to spreading and adopting the precepts of green chemistry in their daily choices.
BB: Why did The Institute of Chemistry – UNESP sign the GCC? How do you see collaboration with other GCC signers impacting your work?
CM: The Institute of Chemistry – UNESP has always been at the forefront of this area, and therefore it was natural for us to be a GCC signer. We believe it is not enough to train competent professionals with the necessary technical skills for this profession. It is also essential to train professionals aware of their socio-environmental responsibilities and provide the required means to act in their field of activity.
Education is the most efficient way to build a sustainable planet. By signing the GCC, we can move faster because more people (professors, staff, technicians, employees, students) are involved and committed to making the chemistry developed and carried out in our institute greener. For example, we included a discipline that deals with green chemistry in the mandatory curriculum for the first-year students—exchanges of experience with other GCC signers helped in this process.
The Green Chemistry Commitment is currently accepting new signers. The GCC is voluntary, flexible and progressive — in other words, departments do not have to be perfect in green chemistry implementation to sign up, they only need to commit to continual improvement. Learn more about the program and how to become a signer here.
Seeding Inspiration and Action for a Sustainable Future through Green Chemistry Higher Education
March 8, 2022
Education is central to creating lasting change in any movement. Through green chemistry education, we can catalyze technological innovations that result in less hazardous materials, products and processes in support [...]Categories: Higher-Ed
Activation Energy Podcast with Dr. John Warner
Last week, our Board Member and Co-Founder Dr. John Warner participated on the Activation Energy Podcast, in partnership with the Chemical Angel Network! In this episode, John talks about sustainability, Green Chemistry education, communication, talent development, and financing innovation!
This podcast can be accessed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts!
Activation Energy Podcast with Dr. John Warner
January 31, 2022
Last week, our Board Member and Co-Founder Dr. John Warner participated on the Activation Energy Podcast, in partnership with the Chemical Angel Network! In this episode, John talks about sustainability, [...]Categories: Green Chemistry Education, Higher-Ed, Newsletters, Spotlight
Green Talk with John Warner
Teaching, Everyday Life and Science Education in Green Chemistry: These are the themes our Board Member, our Co-Founder, and the Co-Founder of Green Chemistry Dr. John Warner discussed with students and faculty of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), in Brazil!
This event took place on November 2nd and was organized by UFRJ’s American Chemical Society Student Chapter (ACS UFRJ), and co-organized by the Network of Early-Career Sustainable Scientists and Engineers (NESSE).
Didn’t have the chance to participate? Don’t worry! The good news is that this amazing discussion has been recorded, and you can watch the full event just by clicking here! #GreenChemistry #Sustainability
Green Talk with John Warner
January 31, 2022
Teaching, Everyday Life and Science Education in Green Chemistry: These are the themes our Board Member, our Co-Founder, and the Co-Founder of Green Chemistry Dr. John Warner discussed with students [...]Categories: Green Chemistry Education, Higher-Ed
New Publication! Biopolymer Experiment for Middle and High School!
This new ACS Journal of Chemical Education article titled Thirst for a Solution: Alginate Biopolymer Experiments for the Middle and High School Classroom features the synthesis of biodegradable calcium alginate capsules prepared from food-safe chemicals. The capsules are considered as replacements for single use water bottles and students are challenged to design an inquiry experiment. This hands-on experiment was developed by Dr. Jane Wissinger (University of Minnesota) and her research students, in partnership with Beyond Benign teachers and staff.
Access the full publication here.
New Publication! Biopolymer Experiment for Middle and High School!
January 6, 2022
This new ACS Journal of Chemical Education article titled Thirst for a Solution: Alginate Biopolymer Experiments for the Middle and High School Classroom features the synthesis of biodegradable calcium alginate [...]Categories: Green Chemistry Education, K-12, Spotlight
Meet Beyond Benign Leaders and Join the Community! 🌎
In our Fall Newsletter, we highlight our Beyond Benign Leaders, our amazing educators, and partners who work alongside us to build this growing, supportive Green Chemistry education community. In support of the community, we will provide a host of virtual opportunities this year, we even have a new section of our website dedicated to building online communities, reflecting our organizational shift towards fostering a diverse and welcoming community that empowers educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future.
In this newsletter, you will find ways to connect with our educators and partners in K-12, Higher Education, and through a new program, the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC). You’ll also learn how our Co-Founder and Co-Founder of Green Chemistry, John Warner is running for American Chemical Society (ACS) President.
Read all the “Meet Beyond Benign Leaders and Join the Community” newsletter has to offer here and sign up for our email list to receive future newsletters!
Meet Beyond Benign Leaders and Join the Community! 🌎
September 22, 2021
In our Fall Newsletter, we highlight our Beyond Benign Leaders, our amazing educators, and partners who work alongside us to build this growing, supportive Green Chemistry education community. In support […]
Categories: Newsletters
Welcome Universidad de la Costa to the GCC Community
A warm welcome to our newest Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) Signer, the Department of Natural and Exact Sciences at Universidad de la Costa. The department is deeply committed to forming professionals & citizens with a high sense of responsibility to a more sustainable world. The faculty currently incorporates green chemistry principles throughout an ecotoxicology course and into tutorial research programs in ecotoxicology and green chemistry. The institution is the second in Colombia to join the GCC program and offers an Environmental Engineering, Sustainable Development Master, and Doctoral Degree.
Check out the Universidad de la Costa Who’s Committed Profile to learn more about the department and its aims!
Welcome Universidad de la Costa to the GCC Community
September 20, 2021
A warm welcome to our newest Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) Signer, the Department of Natural and Exact Sciences at Universidad de la Costa. The department is deeply committed to forming […]
Categories: Green Chemistry Education
MilliporeSigma Science Will Tell Podcast: DOZN™ – Green Chemistry Evaluator Tool
MilliporeSigma‘s game-changing DOZN™ tool enables scientists to compare the relative greenness of similar chemicals, synthetic routes & chemical processes!
Listen to experts from within our Green Chemistry community including our Executive Director Dr. Amy Cannon, Prof. Irv Levy (GCC advisory board chair), Dr. Ponnusamy (GCC advisory board & MilliporeSigma Green Chemistry Fellow), and Jeffrey Whitford (Head of Sustainability and Social Business Innovation at MilliporeSigma) discuss DOZN in the third episode of Science Will Tell.
Through this podcast, you will learn more about DOZN™, the quantitative, industry-first green chemistry tool that utilizes the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry in order for scientists to make more informed decisions and to reduce their environmental footprint in industry and academic settings. Specifically, DOZN™ enables scientists to compare the relative greenness of similar chemicals, synthetic routes, and chemical processes. Learn more and start using DOZN™ by clicking here.
MilliporeSigma Science Will Tell Podcast: DOZN™ – Green Chemistry Evaluator Tool
August 27, 2021
MilliporeSigma‘s game-changing DOZN™ tool enables scientists to compare the relative greenness of similar chemicals, synthetic routes & chemical processes! Listen to experts from within our Green Chemistry community including our […]
Categories: Green Chemistry Education, Higher-Ed
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