We owe our community a major thank you. Because of your incredible support, Beyond Benign was selected to receive a special 25th-anniversary donation from Cell Signaling Technology (CST)!
In celebration of their 25 years of service to the life sciences community, CST launched a campaign to award an additional $25,000 to one of the many non-profits they support annually to drive positive change. The campaign called on the community to vote for the organization they felt was most deserving of this special recognition. When we first heard the news, we were overwhelmed with emotions—shocked, surprised, but most of all, honored.
At Beyond Benign, we often talk about the power of community. Community is at the heart of everything we do, from our meetings and newsletters to our articles and interviews. But this moment was different—it was a true testament to your impact.
We were truly humbled to see the responses pouring in, with votes coming from around the world. Your engagement, enthusiasm, and belief in our mission made this moment possible, and we could not be more grateful.
Thank you all for showing up for us and giving us the opportunity to continue showing up for you. While we’re still at a loss for words to fully express our gratitude, we thought the best way to honor this moment was to highlight some of the common themes from your votes and share some of the standout quotes that really touched our hearts.
Advocacy for Green Chemistry Education
“Beyond Benign has been an absolutely essential organization to spread the word of Green Chemistry & Sustainability. Through its captivating and engaging methodologies, and an incredible moving-forward community, I’ve been able to not only learn from them but also contribute and give my own perspectives and contexts. Their democratic and thoughtful ways to advance education on Green Chemistry are vital for a real change. I’m also happy to share that much of what is yet to be done is under Beyond Benign radar, which seems to be an inspiring motive to join them and continue working on Green Chemistry Education.”
Global Reach and Inclusivity
“This organization’s mission is critical for the future and advancement of chemistry education. They are building an inclusive community of learners that is unmatched by any other of its kind.”
“BB is changing the world and making it a better place through awareness and sustainable chemistry education. Their impact is far reaching throughout the world and especially in places like Africa where I am from.”
“It has been in the forefront in spreading and practicing green chemistry education across the globe.”
Support for Educators and Institutions
“They support K-12 science teachers like myself to encourage our students to pursue careers in science, sustainability, and education. Their curricular resources are gems and I’ve adapted several of them into my classes. I believe green chemistry education is critical for a sustainable world, and sustainability can clearly be supported by green chemistry.”
“I have used several of this organization’s activities in my classes and it has helped my administration see the value of promoting lab science experiments with little or no toxic waste.”
“The resources that Beyond Benign creates have been fantastic to include in my chemistry courses. I use many of their labs and love them!”
Empowering Future Scientists
“Green chemistry is so important for doing science sustainably. Beyond Benign is doing the hard work of making sure the next generation of chemists and STEM workers is trained in ways to meaningfully impact the world!”
Innovative Approaches and Practical Impact
“Education is transformative. Scientists need to be trained to THINK sustainably before they design a product. Current chemistry programs do not teach green chemistry. Beyond Benign provides the tools educators need to transform their curriculum, thereby empowering them to be sustainability multipliers with every student they teach.”
“They support and provide training for both K-12 and collegiate initiatives to green up our chemistry labs with less toxic and often grocery store available materials. This helps reduce toxic waste and create awareness! They have even done a remote PD with our TX chemistry teacher organization.”
Alignment with Global Challenges
“This [vote] is because I believe that early exposure to sustainable practices can be the key for the next generation of scientists to become critical and aware of the Earth life cycle as a whole. Coming from the Philippines where we experience the brunt of climate change, education is critical in order for us to be able to weather the unpredictability of climate in the future.”
Community and Collaboration
“I want to support this organization because they provide a platform for building new connections and collaborations, empowering individuals to form meaningful relationships and drive positive change in the community.”
“Beyond Benign is one of those organizations that bring a smile to your face every time you hear about the news coming from them. Their mission of bringing green chemistry and sustainability education and awareness is critical, as it aims to reach all people, from young minds to the university level. The group of people gathered there is fantastic, and their work is awe-inspiring.”
