upcoming events
NYSMTP Statewide Green Chemistry Professional Learning Team
February 1, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pmOne event on November 2, 2020 at 5:00 pm
One event on December 7, 2020 at 5:00 pm
One event on January 4, 2021 at 5:00 pm
One event on February 1, 2021 at 5:00 pm
One event on March 1, 2021 at 5:00 pm
One event on April 5, 2021 at 5:00 pm
One event on May 3, 2021 at 5:00 pm
From ocean plastic to forest fires, our world needs invention, innovation and creativity to find sol...
Find out more »Green Chemistry Connections
February 10, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pmAn event every month that begins at 12:00 pm on day Second of the month, repeating until May 12, 2021
Join us to make Green Chemistry Connections Beyond Benign will be hosting a monthly Green Chemistry ...
Find out more »Green Chemistry Context and Pedagogy for In-person and Virtual Learning Webinar
February 11, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pmJoin us for an interactive webinar that will dive into the basics how Green Chemistry contextualizes...
Find out more »Green Chemistry Education in the News:
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Beyond Benign Collaborates with New York State Pollution Prevention Institute to Empower K-12 Educators in New York
Beyond Benign is collaborating with the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) to empower educators to advance sustainable science education in the New York region. Through fostering a regional green chemistry education community in New York, Beyond Benign aims to equip teachers to integrate green chemistry and sustainable STEM into their classrooms. This project is designed to drive awareness of green chemistry education and hazardous material clean out programs for high school classrooms and train teachers in green chemistry concepts and curriculum. Applying green chemistry principles in New York schools will effectively address all three key areas of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute’s mission of: reducing the use of hazardous chemicals, reducing emissions and waste generated along with increasing the efficient use of raw materials, energy, and water.
In partnership with NYSP2I, Beyond Benign is excited to offer New York State teachers free opportunities to learn more about green chemistry education, access to open-source green chemistry curriculum, and information on NYSP2I’s chemical clean out programs. The New York programming leads off with a webinar on May 29, 2020 at 12:00PM EST titled “Webinar: “Sparking Student Interest with Safer, Greener Chemistry”. This webinar will highlight Annette Sebuyira and Jim Burdick, two active New York State Master Teachers and Beyond Benign Lead Teachers, and how they combine the inquiry process and green chemistry in their classroom to keep students engaged and curious. They will share how to explore phenomena and fill your students with wonder while cultivating a safe and sustainable culture in your lab by examining chemical or physical changes and endothermic or exothermic reactions. This free event is co-organized by Beyond Benign and New York State Pollution Prevention Institute.
Following the webinar, Beyond Benign in partnership with New York State Pollution Prevention Institute will offer full scholarships to Beyond Benign’s asynchronous green chemistry online courses. These two courses are in a 6-8 week an asynchronous format and equivalent of 48 credit-hours with optional 3 graduate education credits available.* These courses are taught by Beyond Benign Lead Teachers, Tayna Elmer, and Ann Lambert, who have extensive experience teaching green chemistry in their classroom and developing green chemistry curriculum.
More details on the online courses are below:
Introduction to Green Chemistry for High School Teachers June 8- Aug 3, 2020:
This course will equip you with the knowledge, skills and resources to integrate green chemistry principles and practices into your teaching through real-world sustainable innovations. Participants will engage in forum discussions and lesson plan development. Register here by June 1st: http://bit.ly/IntroGCOnline2020
Advanced Green Chemistry: Connections to Our World June 15- July 27, 2020:
This course is designed for teachers already implementing green chemistry in their classes. Expand your knowledge of green chemistry principles and practices by investigating pedagogy strategies for effectively guiding student-based research projects and inquiry-based projects. Register here by June 1st: http://bit.ly/Advancedgconline2020
*optional $135 graduate credit is available from Colorado School of Mines for teachers from across the country, including New York teachers.
The funding for the programs above offered by Beyond Benign and NYSP2I is provided by the Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. © 2020 Rochester Institute of Technology. Any opinions, findings, and/or interpretations of data contained herein are the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions, interpretations, or policy of Rochester Institute of Technology and its NYS Pollution Prevention Institute or the State.
Teachers interested in staying informed on the latest offerings from Beyond Benign, please sign up at: https://bit.ly/BeyondBenign_Newsletter
About Beyond Benign:
Beyond Benign, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, envisions a world where the chemical building blocks of products used every day are healthy and safe for humans and the environment. Beyond Benign is fostering a green chemistry education community empowered to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Beyond Benign’s continuum of sustainable science educational programs including, teacher and faculty training, and curriculum development from K-20 are helping to build the next generation of scientists and citizens with the skills and knowledge to create and chose products that are safe for human health and the environment. Over the past 13 years, Beyond Benign has an extensive history of service, having trained over 6,000 K-12 teachers in sustainable science and green chemistry, designed over 200 open-access lessons, reached over 25,000 youth and community members through outreach, & partnered with over 65 universities to transform chemistry education. Together we can catalyze the development of green technological innovations that result in safer products and processes in support of a sustainable, healthy society.
Find us on Twitter @beyondbenign, on Instagram @beyondbenign, and on Facebook @beyondbenign.
Partnership Contact:
Nicki Wiggins, Director of Development
Beyond Benign
Nicki_Wiggins@beyondbenign.org
978-229-5443
Beyond Benign Collaborates with New York State Pollution Prevention Institute to Empower K-12 Educators in New York
May 22, 2020
Beyond Benign is collaborating with the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) to empower educators to advance sustainable science education in the New York region. Through fostering a regional…
Categories: K-12
Everyday Products are Full of Harmful Chemicals. Can Green Chemistry Lead the Way to Safer Alternatives?
What are the steps we need to take to produce safer everyday products and what is the role of Green Chemistry in all of this? Our Co-Founder John Warner explains in this piece by Meg Wilcox on Ensia with other leaders in the field such as Green Chemistry & Commerce Council – GC3 and more. Read more here!
Everyday Products are Full of Harmful Chemicals. Can Green Chemistry Lead the Way to Safer Alternatives?
May 5, 2020
What are the steps we need to take to produce safer everyday products and what is the role of Green Chemistry in all of this? Our Co-Founder John Warner explains…
Categories: Green Chemistry Education
So, now what? The perspectives of a “laboratory-less” chemistry graduate student amid the COVID-19 outbreak
Our Communications Intern Juliana Vidal shares her perspectives and feelings about being a chemistry graduate student in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Times are uncertain and the approach used is different, but the goal remains the same, read more from Juliana in the Chemical Institute of Canada article.

So, now what? The perspectives of a “laboratory-less” chemistry graduate student amid the COVID-19 outbreak
May 5, 2020
Our Communications Intern Juliana Vidal shares her perspectives and feelings about being a chemistry graduate student in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Times are uncertain and the approach used is…
Categories: Green Chemistry Education, Higher-Ed
Earth Month Spotlight by Hampshire College’s R.W. Kern Center
Beyond Benign had the pleasure to be spotlighted on the R.W. Kern Center‘s blog in celebration of Earth Month! Come and learn more about Green Chemistry, how it can be applied, and its importance in a successful path towards sustainability! Check out the Spotlight here
Earth Month Spotlight by Hampshire College’s R.W. Kern Center
April 30, 2020
Beyond Benign had the pleasure to be spotlighted on the R.W. Kern Center‘s blog in celebration of Earth Month! Come and learn more about Green Chemistry, how it can be…
Categories: Green Chemistry Education, Higher-Ed
CCEW 2020 “Protecting our Planet through Chemistry”
For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the 2020 Chemists Celebrate Earth Week theme is ‘Protecting our Planet through Chemistry.’ As written in the introduction by K12 Director Kate Anderson, “Chemistry has a big role to play in improving our overall sustainability. Through scientific research and green chemistry (also known as the science of sustainability), chemists can not only help to clean up the planet, but also keep pollution from happening in the first place.” Our green chemistry community echos the importance of green chemistry through writing actives and think-pieces throughout the publication. Dr. John Warner is the featured Meg A. Mole interview. Access the entire publication here.
Available for download in both English and Spanish.
CCEW 2020 “Protecting our Planet through Chemistry”
April 22, 2020
For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the 2020 Chemists Celebrate Earth Week theme is 'Protecting our Planet through Chemistry.' As written in the introduction by K12 Director Kate Anderson,…Categories: Green Chemistry Education, K-12
John C. Warner (the Elder)’s Vision of Chemistry and Responsible Citizenship, with an Update by John C. Warner (the Younger)
Check out John Warner’s latest article in the Journal of Chemical Education! In this paper,
John discusses how Green Chemistry is helping to bring the vision of another John C.
Warner, former president of the American Chemistry Society into reality!
John C. Warner (the Elder)’s Vision of Chemistry and Responsible Citizenship, with an Update by John C. Warner (the Younger)
April 14, 2020
Check out John Warner’s latest article in the Journal of Chemical Education! In this paper, John discusses how Green Chemistry is helping to bring the vision of another John C.…
Categories: Green Chemistry Education, Higher-Ed
‘Green Chemistry Invention in K12’ Podcast
Interviewed by the K12 Engineering Education Podcast, K12 Program Manager Janie Butler and lead teacher Eric Nash chat about developing and disseminating educational resources in green chemistry – like how to create bioplastics, or thinking about a full product life cycle. Originally scheduled to present at the SXSW Edu 2020 Conference in Austin, Texas, they discussed how chemistry and design can be integrated into the K-12 classroom, why this is important, and more. They also brainstorm ways to teach green chemistry even amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Listen below, or go here for show notes.
‘Green Chemistry Invention in K12’ Podcast
April 13, 2020
Interviewed by the K12 Engineering Education Podcast, K12 Program Manager Janie Butler and lead teacher Eric Nash chat about developing and disseminating educational resources in green chemistry – like how to…
Categories: Green Chemistry Education, K-12
Beyond Benign Receives Grant to Support Green Chemistry Education at Universities
MilliporeSigma is investing in Green Chemistry today to empower the workforce of tomorrow
April 2, 2020 Wilmington, MA – Green chemistry education nonprofit Beyond Benign has received a grant from life science company MilliporeSigma to develop laboratory resources for universities. The life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that generate the least amount of harm and waste possible while maintaining excellent quality. Since 2007, Beyond Benign has integrated green chemistry into K-12 and higher education institutions through teacher training, lesson plans, community networks, webinars, and events.
“We’re ecstatic to receive continued support from MilliporeSigma,” says Beyond Benign’s Director and Co-Founder, Dr. Amy Cannon. “MilliporeSigma recognizes the central role chemistry plays in the world around us. They understand the urgency of training chemistry students – our future workforce – in green chemistry, so as a society we invent in ways that intentionally reduce harm to human health and the environment.”
MilliporeSigma’s grant will allow Beyond Benign to create an inorganic chemistry resource guide and enhance an existing organic chemistry guide for universities looking to include green chemistry in their courses and programs. The updated Guide to Green Chemistry Experiments for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Labs created with nonprofit partner My Green Lab will be available in 2020, and the new inorganic chemistry guide will begin development in July 2020. Beyond Benign’s Higher Education partners include the University of Michigan at Flint and the University of Toronto.
“Beyond Benign is helping transform the future of science by helping to shape chemists who take responsibility for every step of research and development,” said Jeffrey Whitford, head of Corporate Responsibility and Life Science Branding at MilliporeSigma. “Its work reflects many of MilliporeSigma’s goals for our own corporate and community sustainability.”
As part of its Corporate Responsibility initiative, MilliporeSigma supports organizations committed to solving the toughest problems in life science. They practice green chemistry by manufacturing sustainable products, establishing dedicated programs, and by using the DOZN™ 2.0 free online tool it developed to test product and process sustainability against the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry.
About Beyond Benign:
Beyond Benign, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, envisions a world where the chemical building blocks of products used every day are healthy and safe for humans and the environment. Beyond Benign is fostering a green chemistry education community empowered to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Beyond Benign’s continuum of sustainable science educational programs including, teacher and faculty training, and curriculum development from K-20 are helping to build the next generation of scientists and citizens with the skills and knowledge to create and chose products that are safe for human health and the environment. Over the past 13 years, Beyond Benign has an extensive history of service, having trained over 6,000 K-12 teachers in sustainable science and green chemistry, designed over 200 open-access lessons, reached over 25,000 youth and community members through outreach, & partnered with over 65 universities to transform chemistry education. Together we can catalyze the development of green technological innovations that result in safer products and processes in support of a sustainable, healthy society.
Find us on Twitter @beyondbenign, on Instagram @beyondbenign, and on Facebook @beyondbenign.
Press Contact:
Nicki Wiggins, Director of Development
Beyond Benign
Nicki_Wiggins@beyondbenign.org
978-229-5443
Beyond Benign Receives Grant to Support Green Chemistry Education at Universities
April 7, 2020
MilliporeSigma is investing in Green Chemistry today to empower the workforce of tomorrow April 2, 2020 Wilmington, MA – Green chemistry education nonprofit Beyond Benign has received a grant from…Categories: Higher-Ed, Press Releases
Designing a Greener Le Châtelier’s Principle Lab
Lead Teacher, Cassidy Javner, is featured in the March issue of AACT for her piece on Designing a Greener Le Châtelier’s Principle Lab. This article discusses the importance of green chemistry and features a safer replacement to traditional Le Châtelier’s Principle labs, which often use hazardous chemicals that pose a risk to students and the environment. The concepts of Le Châtelier’s Principle can be effectively demonstrated using household materials of starch, iodine, butterfly pea tea, vinegar, and baking soda, see the lesson plan here.
Designing a Greener Le Châtelier’s Principle Lab
March 10, 2020
Lead Teacher, Cassidy Javner, is featured in the March issue of AACT for her piece on Designing a Greener Le Châtelier’s Principle Lab. This article discusses the importance of green…
Categories: Green Chemistry Education, K-12