Community News

What does it mean to build—and exist in—a global community, despite thousands of miles and hours of time difference? 

As our global green chemistry community continues to grow, we at Beyond Benign find ourselves asking these two critical questions time and time again. This is why you may have seen us– virtually or in person– at any one of the many green chemistry conferences, webinars, seminars, or ceremonies 2023 had to offer.

In traveling, logging on, presenting, or listening in, we are hoping to reach you – our brilliant community members at the forefront of change in the green chemistry space. We know from experience that innovation and creation happen when we connect, collaborate, and show up for one another.

So, where did we show up recently? Explore highlights from this season’s travels below!

National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) 50th Anniversary

In September of this year, Beyond Benign Higher Education Program Manager, Dr. Nimrat Obhi (they/them), attended the 50th Annual Meeting of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChe). 

Dr. Obhi oversees Beyond Benign’s MSI initiative, which provides support to Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) as part of the Green Chemistry Commitment Program. This support includes making available targeted grants for both faculty and student groups at MSIs and providing professional development opportunities for these community members. 

At NOBCChe, Dr. Obhi hosted a workshop titled, “Students as Change Agents” geared toward empowering young Black chemists with the resources they need to be changemakers in the green chemistry space. But, in Dr. Obhi’s words, the students already had the key components — passion, and a palpable energy for change.

Dr. Obhi aptly summarized the existential questions faced by their audience saying, “They bear increasing responsibilities based on the world we are left with. That’s why it’s our responsibility to show students they have the power and agency as green chemistry advocates to be leaders of a greener, more just future.”

University of Birmingham Sustainability in Chemistry Conference

Dr. Juliana Vidal (she/her) recently traveled to the University of Birmingham for their Sustainability in Chemistry Conference — the first of its kind hosted by the recent GCC Signer, with plans in place for the conference to become an annual occurrence. Dr. Vidal, a Higher Education Program Manager at Beyond Benign, oversees support for our green chemistry commitment signers, including our growing international community.

“It was amazing to see the symposium at the University of Birmingham becoming a hub for our signers in the UK,” Dr. Vidal shared, “Our Green Chemistry Commitment has become just the domino effect we need to see – such meaningful channels of communication and collaboration opening between our community members.” Organized by Prof. Tomislav Friščić, Prof. Adam Michalchuck, Prof. Deborah Crawford, Dr. Thomas Auvray and Dr. Michael Ferguson, the event included the talks of students and faculty from GCC signing institutions including the University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham, and Texas A&M University.

Youth Forum at ICCM5

At Beyond Benign, we know that young people are at the forefront of change– and that when given a platform, they make strong advocates for a sustainable future. This is precisely why Dr. Juliana Vidal attended this year’s Youth Forum at the Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme in Bonn, Germany. 

At this historic forum, a new framework was set forth to improve the management of chemicals and waste, created by its multilateral, multigenerational leadership. Green and sustainable chemistry education was among the demands of leaders and was successfully enshrined in the framework. 

A plurality of voices were heard at ICCM5, and Beyond Benign was honored to be among them. Dr. Vidal shared that, “Non-profit organizations like Beyond Benign should have a seat at the table, alongside governments and multilateral organizations, to voice our concerns, share our expertise, and engage our community, to help catalyze change on a more global scale.”

Fostering green chemistry education involves two important ingredients– awareness and accessibility. Knowing about green chemistry is just one piece of the puzzle. This is why the work being done by our Lead Teachers is so important– they are the catalysts inspiring other educators to take their knowledge and to implement it in the classroom. 

Eastern STANYS

Education conferences provide an incredible opportunity for us to engage with you all face-to-face, and to demonstrate the practical ways green chemistry fits into your curricula. The Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS) hosted its regional conference in Eastern New York, with presentations by Lead Teachers Annette Sebuyira and Stefanie Loomis. 

In their workshop, “Using Green Chemistry to Implement NYSSLS Based Labs” Stefanie and Annette called on green chemistry principles, practices, and tools to empower participants toward more sustainable science education. All of this with a spooky twist… These labs were written with an engaging and fun murder-mystery storyline that involved analyzing “poison” lemonade and a potential murder weapon through a density lab.

Annette and Stefanie’s creativity shined in this workshop, but the pair remarked that aside from presenting, the highlight was connecting with other passionate and invested science educators from across the region. 

STANYS

At the broader STANYS conference a couple of weeks later, our lead teachers represented green chemistry education again with an insightful workshop hosted by Scott Carlson and Stefanie Loomis. With labs to choose from such as flame tests, animal biomimicry, and a density lab, the pair introduced their audience to Beyond Benign, green chemistry, the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community, and more! Stefanie Loomis reflects that, “it is always great to introduce more and more people to green chemistry, and to remind them of all the resources we have made available to them.” 

British Columbia Science Teachers’ Conference

In a hybrid presentation titled, “Chemistry Teaching and Learning for Sustainable Futures” Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher Ken Hoffman and co-presenter Janice Williams, carried the green chemistry torch at the British Columbia Science Teachers’ Conference. Working specifically with middle school educators, the presenters introduced their audience to the goals and objectives of the 12 Green Chemistry Principles, specifically focusing on Less Hazardous Synthesis, Minimizing Waste, and Atom Economy. Their goal was to have attendees leave with the practical knowledge and skills necessary to inspire the next generation of green chemists.

Ken shares that the event was an incredible success and to his excitement most attendees were familiar with green chemistry, Beyond Benign and the GCTLC. “They were posting the Beyond Benign URL before I could, posting teaching resources in the chat before me, and expressing their interest in the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community…” 

Ken shares that the prevailing message of their presentation was, in Janice’s words, “Start where you are!” Sustainability-focused teaching and learning, in many cases, needs only a perspective shift.

Throughout this season, we’ve found that our community is flourishing. 

In addition to reflecting on our recent travels, we recently received the exciting results of our annual survey. This year, 74% of educators who responded to this survey said that their confidence to teach green chemistry has increased over 2023! It’s clear that despite the time and distance between us, our community is stronger than ever. 

Whether it was online, in person, or a combination of the two, we are so glad to have had the chance to connect with you all – and are excited to see what 2024 has to offer the community we are building, together.

Congratulations to the remarkable 2022-2023 Green Chemistry Education Challenge Award winners for their outstanding contributions in designing innovative projects that are poised to advance green chemistry education within their institutions. By pioneering these initiatives, they are not only shaping the future of education but also leading the way toward a more sustainable world. We look forward to witnessing the positive impact their projects will have on both their campuses and the broader community. 

Thank you to our sponsors, Dow, Biogen and 3M, for their invaluable support in making these awards possible. Their commitment to fostering innovation in green chemistry education is instrumental to ensuring the workforce is trained with the green chemistry knowledge and skills needed for a sustainable future.

Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards aim to support the integration of green chemistry education into courses and curricula with financial aid to achieve impactful change. Strong applications receive funding to achieve the following goals:

• Increase the awareness of green chemistry and the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) program across the chemistry department and institution.
• Increase awareness of the institution’s dedication to green chemistry education through conference attendance, webinars, publications, social media campaigns, etc.
• Transform curriculum and lab procedures to achieve the GCC’s Green Chemistry Student Learning Objectives so all chemistry majors, upon graduation, have proficiency in the following essential green chemistry competencies: Theory, Toxicology, Laboratory Skills & Application.

If you would like to apply for a Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards, we currently have two open applications. Application deadlines are October 31st.

If your organization would like to sponsor an award for faculty or students, please reach out to nicki_wiggins@beyondbenign.org

 

Dow Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards 

These five awards were provided to Green Chemistry Commitment Signing Institutions to accomplish 1-year green chemistry projects that advance the teaching and learning of green chemistry. The funding could be utilized to drive awareness for Green Chemistry or support the adoption of Green Chemistry curriculum into chemistry courses, laboratories and/or outreach activities. Funding support provided by Dow. 

Winners: 

Institution: Bradley University

Faculty Lead: Dean Campbell

Project Description: The primary objective of this project is to bring green chemistry concepts to the Bradley University students by incorporating a robust set of green chemistry labs into the General and Organic Chemistry laboratory courses. To accomplish this objective, the grant funding will be used to purchase supplies and reagents for use in these labs. With approximately a quarter of the 5,400 Bradley University students enrolled in General and Organic Chemistry labs, this provides an excellent opportunity to help increase awareness of green chemistry across the entire campus. 

 

Institution: South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Faculty Lead: Sara K. Madsen

Project Description: Virtual Reality (VR) will be used to assess its learning effectiveness in Organic Chemistry laboratory that currently uses green chemistry pedagogy. The goal of this project is to use VR to provide chemistry students an opportunity to practice green chemistry techniques and experiments before entering a real space laboratory. SDSU faculty, staff, and administrators, SDSU students, and South Dakota Tribal Colleges will benefit from this project. This project will design a VR template that can achieve the following objectives:

• Practice the procedures of a traditional green experiment and non-green experiment and assess learning in VR.
• Conduct a green experiment and non-green experiment in the real laboratory space and assess learning, calculate energy consumption, atom economy and E-Factor, in both VR and non-VR spaces.
• Modify VR objects to optimize and pilot the green chemistry experiment in VR.

 

Institution: University of Minnesota

Faculty Lead: Nathan Rackstraw

Project Description: The Sustainable and Green Chemistry Committee (SGC) at the University of Minnesota (UMN) plans to: 

1) increase the Chemistry department’s dedication to green chemistry by inviting an external guest speaker in the Fall semester of 2023. 

2) increase awareness of current green chemistry practices (theory, toxicology, laboratory skills, and application of green chemistry) across the department by organizing monthly researcher (graduate student and postdoctoral scholar) roundtable meetings, and 

3) transform an existing middle school science outreach program to incorporate green chemistry experiments into their curriculum.  

 

Institution: University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 

Faculty Lead: Nicole Juhl and Tisha Mendiola Jessop

Project Description: Faculty members, Nicole Juhl and Tisha Mendiola Jessop, design Green and Sustainable Chemistry modules to serve as models for their department as resources and concrete examples for how to incorporate green chemistry without adding to the curriculum. Additionally, they will increase and improve their education through professional development by attending the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI) Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in June of 2023 and share their learnings with their colleagues over the 2023-2024 academic year. 

 

Institution: Saint Francis University 

Faculty Lead: Ashley Smith-Diemler  

Project Description: This project seeks to expand Saint Francis University’s (SFU’s) awareness of the Green Chemistry Commitment in both our Chemistry Department and the larger surrounding community through the following objectives: 

• Expand the application and teaching of Green Chemistry Principles for both the lecture and laboratory courses. 
• Redesign Chemistry major seminar (taken one semester/year by all Chemistry majors) to focus on green chemistry principles, challenges, and core competencies. 
• Create new green chemistry-themed activities that can be taught in local schools and libraries by the existing outreach organization (R.O.C.K. – Rural Outreach Chemistry for Kids).

 

Biogen Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards 

These two awards were given to Green Chemistry Commitment Signing Institutions who are US-based Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to accomplish 1-year green chemistry projects that advance the teaching and learning of green chemistry. The funding could be used to drive awareness for Green Chemistry or support the adoption of Green Chemistry curriculum into chemistry courses, laboratories and/or outreach activities. Funding support from Biogen.

Winners:

Institution: Kean University

Faculty Leads: Heather Stokes-Huby, Subhasish Chatterjee

Project Description: Kean University is starting a Green Chemistry Initiative and using a lab-based green chemistry dye activity to kick off the Initiative and to enhance and strengthen the interest of student participants. Through their Green Chemistry Initiative, Kean University will develop new laboratory experiments and courses in green chemistry and propose a green chemistry concentration within their chemistry major offerings at the University.

 

Institution: St. Edward’s University

Faculty Lead: Lauren Mitchell

Project Description: St. Edward’s University will implement a new green chemistry experiment into their introductory level Organic Chemistry lab course. Students will synthesize and purify aspirin at microscale quantities using specialized glassware, then they will compare their results to experiments run earlier in the semester to evaluate the greenness of different synthetic approaches and their impacts on waste reduction. St. Edward’s University will adapt future experiments in other Organic Chemistry lab courses to use the same microscale synthetic approach.

 

Green Chemistry Education Student Group Challenge Awards 

These fourteen (14) Green Chemistry Education Awards were provided to student groups from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to run three green chemistry events or outreach activities that advance the adoption of green chemistry on their campuses or in their local communities. This funding is to help support ACS Student Chapters enhance their applications for green chemistry recognition from the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute. Funding provided by 3M and Beyond Benign.

 

3M Green Chemistry Education Student Group Challenge Awards – US Institutions: 

Institution: California State University, San Marcos

Faculty Advisor: Robert Iafe 

Project Plan:  The CSUSM ACS Student Chapter will organize a Green Chemistry Summit event to introduce green chemistry to the campus and local community colleges, featuring Dr. John Warner as a keynote speaker. The group will also provide a tour of Genomatica (a green chemistry award winning biotech company based in San Diego) to showcase a local industry example of green chemistry research applications. The group’s final project includes running a green chemistry outreach activity to a local high school, where a green chemistry experiment to create a solar cell will be used to discuss alternative energy, emissions prevention, and redox chemistry.

 

Institution: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Faculty Advisor: Jane Wissinger 

Project Plan: The ACS-UMN Student Chapter will run a short seminar series for the Department of Chemistry to highlight green chemistry in different industries. Guest speakers from diverse backgrounds such as pharmaceutics, chemical engineering, and medicinal chemistry will be invited. Members of the Student Chapter will volunteer at local elementary and middle schools to run green chemistry demonstrations as outreach activities. Finally, the Student Chapter will run general educational meetings for undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota. These meetings will discuss ocean acidification and the use of sustainable starting materials in chemistry research and will use lesson plans and activities from Beyond Benign.  

 

Institution: Texas Woman’s University (TWU)

Faculty Advisor: John Beatty

Project Plan: The TWU-KEM Club will run two Chemistry Magic Show events, for homeschooled students, and for local high school students. In these events, students will learn about microplastics in the environment and the importance of finding greener alternatives to plastics through participation in a bioplastics green chemistry experiment. The local high school students will be invited to the TWU campus along with their dual credit teachers. Finally, the TWU-KEM Club will expand their Zero Impact Events on Campus Program through decreasing the use of single-use plastics and holding discussions on the importance of waste reduction.

 

Institution: Augsburg University

Faculty Advisor(s): Sarah Lam, Michael Wentzel

Project Plan: The Augsburg University ACS Student Chapter will run three outreach events for undergraduate students. The first outreach activity will be an Advanced Biomimicry Matching Game, where students will understand the concept of biomimicry and learn about the impact of carbon dioxide on the environment through exploring acid and base chemistry in the context of less hazardous synthesis, designing for degradation, and using benign solvents. The second outreach activity will discuss endangered and critical elements, and how challenges associated with their sustainable use and preservation will impact the future of chemistry for energy storage research (batteries, supercapacitors, etc.). Finally, the Student Chapter will run a task-based scavenger hunt to connect the principles of green chemistry to students’ real-world environments, and to further their understanding of how green chemistry can be used to solve local sustainability challenges. 

 

Institution: Hampton University

Faculty Advisor(s): Dawanna White, Oluwatoyin Asojo

Project Plan: The Hampton University ACS Student Chapter will run three events. The first event is titled “A Greener Future of Chemistry” and will introduce the audience to the concept of green chemistry. Speakers will be invited that will discuss the intersection of green chemistry and environmental justice. Their second event will be a community-based event run locally, where simple green chemistry experiments will be conducted by school-aged children to find ways to reduce waste and be eco-friendly in the chemistry laboratory. Finally, the Student Chapter’s third project is a department-wide “HU Chem Goes Green” competition to push chemistry and biochemistry undergraduate majors to practice green chemistry. Students will compete to see who can design and conduct the most hazard-free chemical reaction.

 

Institution: University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez 

Faculty Advisor: Carmen Amaralis Vega 

Project Plan: The ACS-RUM Student Chapter at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez will design and conduct three green chemistry workshops in the chemistry laboratories. These workshops will be attended by undergraduate students interested in green chemistry and will focus on how to synthesize chemicals using green reaction pathways. Promotion to other student members and professionals will be conducted through social media.

 

Institution: Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU)

Faculty Advisor: Andrea Oseolorun

Project Plan: The Chemistry Student Group at PVAMU will design and run three projects for the chemistry department. The first project is the creation and initiation of a departmental pilot composting program for spent coffee grounds and tea leaf waste to be used in a community garden project. Students will focus on green chemistry concepts centering on the reduction of waste and circular economics. The second project comprises a campus-wide green and sustainable chemistry poster campaign to introduce the entire campus to green and sustainable chemistry and to encourage widespread incorporation of Green Chemistry Principles and Practices. Finally, the third project involves designing and shooting a sustainability video to promote Green Chemistry Principles and sustainability concepts.

 

Institution: University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Faculty Advisor: Ingrid Montes

Project Plan: The University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Student Chapter will run three events. The first event is a green chemistry section as part of a larger “Show of The Magic of Chemistry”, an annual signature student group event designed to outreach to local community members of all ages. The green chemistry section will include experiments to educate the public on pollution prevention, ocean acidification, and sustainable fabric dyes and textiles. The second event is a series of green chemistry hands-on demonstrations for K-12 students where participants will perform experiments using household products. Students will learn about green polymers and designing for degradation, in addition to understanding the importance of using safer alternatives when designing products. Finally, a green chemistry scavenger hunt event will be run for undergraduate students in the chemistry department, where Green Chemistry Principles are used as clues to determine scavenger hunt locations and to educate the general university community about the importance of incorporating green chemistry into daily life.

 

Institution: Wayne State University

Faculty Advisor: Susan White

Project Plan: The WSU ACS Student Chapter hosted a featured speaker as part of a Green Chemistry Seminar in the Department of Chemistry. Wayne State University’s Associate Director of Hazardous Materials gave a talk on waste removal processes on campus, and how green chemistry impacted her job. Audience members interacted with the speaker during Q&A sessions and additionally learned about the importance of waste reduction and circular economics. The second event run by the Student Chapter included a baking experiment to simulate the Green Chemistry Principle of catalysis for more efficient reactions. Undergraduate students learnt how catalysts work using two methods to bake cupcakes. The third event was a green chemistry experiment for undergraduate students to make biodegradable plastic from milk and lemon juice. Students learned about the harmful processes associated with commercial plastic production and how implementing Green Chemistry Principles can create similar working products that are safer for the environment.

 

Institution: Tuskegee University

Faculty Advisor: Melissa Reeves

Project Plan: The Tuskegee SCACS Student Group will conduct three outreach activities. The first event will teach children at nearby schools about the importance of clean drinking water and water filtration by walking students through hands-on activities such as Beyond Benign’s desalination lesson. The second outreach activity will bring awareness to community members about the levels of plastic in the ocean and effects of water pollution through a recycling-centered full day event. Participants will learn about the chemistry of water pollution and how practicing green chemistry can mitigate water pollution. The final outreach activity will be a “green thumb” event where participants will plant various flowers while learning about the chemistry of air pollution and how toxins can be absorbed into plants. Audience participants will comprise middle school age children and Tuskegee undergraduate students.

 

Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Education Student Group Challenge Awards – International Institutions: 

Institution: University of Ilorin

Faculty Advisor: Joshua Obaleye

Project Plan: The ACS Student Chapter at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria is planning three events to introduce and advocate for green chemistry on their campus. A seminar series will be hosted for the student body featuring green chemistry experts, where the principles and applications of green chemistry will be introduced to attendees. A waste-centered event will also be hosted, where participants will learn how to derive useful bio-active ingredients from local waste products. Lastly, the Student Chapter plans to run a green chemistry quiz and debate competition that is designed to foster further understanding of green chemistry for current and future generations of students.

 

Institution: The University of the West Indies, Mona

Faculty Advisor: Andrea Goldson-Barnaby

Project Plan: The ACS Jamaica International Student Chapter at the University of the West Indies, Mona, hosted several outreach activities funded through this award. In January and in June, the Student Chapter hosted students from the Buff Bay High School in Portland, where they were introduced to basic green chemistry concepts through interactive presentations and hands-on experiments to make a pH indicator from red cabbage and plastics from starch and milk. In February the Student Chapter hosted students from PGA Preparatory School for a day of interactive chemistry experiments using green practices and methods. Students tested the surface tension of water, investigated polymer interlacing, and understood gas production from chemical reactions using green materials. A science fair booth was hosted by the Student Chapter where green chemistry experiments were showcased for students across the country who attended. Additionally, in May, students from the Lister Mair Gilby School for the Deaf were funded to go on a field trip to Port Royal to learn about the importance of environmental protections through observing different ecosystems.

 

Institution: Yachay Tech University

Faculty Advisor: Thibault Terencio 

Project Plan: The ACS Student Chapter Club de Química at Yachay Tech University will run events designed to support student understanding of green chemistry on campus and in local communities. Students will have an opportunity to visit a local industrial plant that focuses on applying green chemistry principles into their procedures to show students practical applications of green chemistry knowledge. Additionally, the student chapter will run a three-day crash course on biopolymers, featuring a workshop and talks to teach students how to use Ecuadorian agricultural residues to synthesize biopolymers as a tool for bioremediation. Conference presentations on circular economy principles will be highlighted through this award, allowing student work to be uplifted at different Ecuadorian universities. Finally, the Student Chapter will run a science fair outreach activity with local high school students to further their understanding and application of green chemistry.

 

Institution: UFRJ

Faculty Advisor: Estevão Freire

Project Plan: The ACS Student Chapter at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro will host several events to further understanding and promotion of green chemistry to students across the educational spectrum. These events include running green chemistry experiments on-campus and at local schools during the National Week of Science and Technology. Experiments will include a variety of themes, including fostering inclusive learning environments for students who are deaf and blind. The Student Chapter is running the Brazilian Green Chemistry Olympics, where they will additionally be awarding prizes to students at the school and university levels who have demonstrated high knowledge of green chemistry and its applications in society. The Student Chapter will also support the second-ever hybrid Green Chemistry Winter School hosted at UFRJ, where a Student Paper Contest will be hosted to motivate students to share their green chemistry research projects. The Student Chapter will also participate in hosting the second Latin American Congress of Green Chemistry, which includes representatives from Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, and Guatemala. A panel discussion, lectures, a round table, and invited speakers will be supported. Finally, the Student Chapter will host the second Interchapter Meeting Brazil to promote sustainability and green chemistry actions to institutions across Brazil. ACS Student Chapters from different regions in Brazil will participate in this forum to share initiatives and actions that have been carried out to advance green chemistry at their home institutions, and to plan for future green chemistry actions needed in Brazil.

A Partnership Between Dow and Beyond Benign

Dow and Beyond Benign joined forces to prepare the next generation workforce for sustainable action through green chemistry education. This partnership is a powerful step toward creating systemic change in chemistry education and the designing sustainable materials in the marketplace using Dow’s ‘Safe Materials for a Sustainable Planet’ goal. By promoting systemic change at the molecular level, Beyond Benign envisions a workforce prepared to design processes and products that are healthy and safe for humans and the environment. Dow’s support will propel Beyond Benign’s goal to ensure 25% of graduating U.S. chemists have a background in green chemistry by 2025, equipped to design a sustainable future.

Beyond Benign is a non-profit organization co-founded in 2007 by Dr. Amy Cannon and Dr. John Warner dedicated to fostering and empowering a green chemistry community toward transforming chemical education. In 2013, Beyond Benign created the Green Chemistry Commitment program to support higher education institutions across the globe throughout the transition to a more sustainable curriculum. To date, approximately 125 universities (our Green Chemistry Commitment Signers), who employ over 2,700 chemistry faculty, joined the Commitment and pledged to advance on their journey to transform chemistry education. Through this Commitment, these are united around a shared vision to:

• Expand the community of green chemists at their institutions,
• Grow departmental resources,
• Improve connections to industry and job opportunities in green chemistry, and
• Collaborate to affect systemic and lasting change in chemistry education.

Through a multi-year partnership, Beyond Benign and Dow Chemical have made significant advances to drive the adoption of green chemistry within Dow’s academic partnerships in higher education. With Dow’s support, Beyond Benign increased the awareness of green chemistry on campuses, supported green chemistry educators to expand their leadership and curriculum in green chemistry, and strengthened the green chemistry community by fostering connections through shared lessons and teaching. Together, Dow and Beyond Benign engaged, recruited and supported Dow’s academic partners to join Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment Program. To date, ten (10) of Dow’s Academic partners including 3 HBCUs, which equates to 5% of all chemistry degrees awarded in the U.S., have signed the Commitment. These institutions are committing to integrating green chemistry and toxicology concepts into their chemistry programs, training students with the skills to design chemical products/processes that have reduced human and environmental hazards. At these institutions, Beyond Benign has consulted on curriculum redesign and green chemistry integration as well as provided leadership opportunities for these institutions to promote their work with the broader community. Beyond Benign estimates that these Dow academic partners, who collectively employ 391 chemistry faculty, can bring green chemistry to up to 95,000 students a year.To help accelerate and catalyze the adoption of green chemistry at Dow’s partner institutions, Dow and Beyond Benign created the first annual Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards.​​ The Green Chemistry Education Challenge Award is a grant available to Green Chemistry Commitment Signers designed to accelerate the adoption and awareness of green chemistry on higher education campuses around the world. In 2021, Michigan State University, University of California, Berkeley, and Southern University and A&M College were the first winners and further received funding to help their programs achieve their goals. Dow’s ongoing support has allowed Beyond Benign to expand this pilot and offer an additional 20 awards from Dow and other participating partners.

At the links below, you’ll find a portfolio of stories to showcase a selection of the Dow Academic partners leading the way in advancing green chemistry education and, as a result, training a future workforce with the sustainability skills needed for a healthier, safer environment.

• Dow Green Chemistry Education Challenge Award Winners Catalyze Green Chemistry at Higher Education Institutions
• Green Chemistry Research Interest Grows at the University of Minnesota
• Growing Community, Connections and Inspiration at Prairie View A&M University
• ‘Go Green!’: Green Chemistry Flourishes at Michigan State University
• A Growing Community of Green Chemists at Southern University
• Incorporating Green Chemistry Principles into Chemistry Fundamentals Education at UC Santa Barbara
• An Expanding Portfolio of Green Chemistry Programs at Texas A&M

An interview with James Batteas

 

In 2013, Beyond Benign created the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) program with guidance from higher educatio

n institutions as a framework to unite the global green chemistry community. The GCC goal is to infuse green chemistry into Higher Education and give scientists the required skills to design processes and products less hazardous to human health and the environment.

Beyond Benign has partnered with companies including Dow, MilliporeSigma, and Biogen to further its mission to empower educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Support from these partners has allowed Beyond Benign to create resources, foster relationships, and provide essential funding to educators, all in an effort to grow and strengthen the green chemistry education community.

The Texas A&M is a Dow academic partner and GCC signer. Discover the university’s story in our interview with D. Wayne Goodman Professor in Chemistry James Batteas.

How has being part of the GCC impacted your institution and you as a faculty member?

Since becoming a GCC signer in April of 2021, TAMU Chemistry has continued to build up its curriculum and research opportunities that expose our students, and the broader Bryan/College Station community, to the benefits of green, sustainable chemistry. While we already had a course specifically in green chemistry (since 2011), we are expanding our portfolio of educational programs to include activities such as our Youth Adventure Camp (YAP) in Mechanochemistry, first offered in the Summer of 2022. Students also garner direct research experiences in green chemistry via our current NSF REU program on Biological, Green, and Materials Chemistry, and through the NSF Center for the Mechanical Control of Chemistry (CMCC), for which TAMU is the lead institution. Students in our REU program participate in a weekly workshop on green chemistry, tour a DOW plant that focuses on sustainable packaging, and prepare general audience outreach (mostly videos) on green chemistry topics. The experience is aimed at increasing their awareness and understanding of green chemistry practices and principles. For me personally, as the Director of the CMCC, the partnership between TAMU, Dow Chemical, and Beyond Benign has helped me establish unique opportunities for our students, such as our YAP camp.

What student outcomes have you observed since instituting green chemistry practices and principles?

While we have yet to initiate a formal evaluation process, anecdotally, we have observed that a number of TAMU chemistry students choose green chemistry related topics for their senior seminar course projects and include discussions on green chemistry in their talks and papers, even when that’s not the primary focus. Additionally, our 

Green Chemistry course continues to be a popular course for our students majoring and minoring in chemistry.

How do you envision the GCC community supporting the future green chemistry goals of your institution and training of your students?

It is our hope that the GCC community will serve as a resource for helping to build our green chemistry curriculum, and likewise, will help us disseminate the curricular and research activities and innovations that we have been developing at TAMU to other GCC partner institutions. We also hope that the GCC community will continue to foster a collaborative network between GCC institutions, to exchange ideas, and enable broader engagement across all stakeholders, academic, industrial, and governmental entities, to forward actions that enable the future of sustainable chemistry.

Read more, including a selection of impact stories from six of Dow’s academic partners and their reflections on green chemistry education.

An interview with Morgan Gainer

In 2013, Beyond Benign created the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) program with guidance from higher education

institutions as a framework to unite the global Green Chemistry community. The GCC goal is to infuse Green Chemistry into Higher Education and give scientists the required skills to design processes and products less hazardous to human health and the environment.

Beyond Benign has partnered with companies including Dow, MilliporeSigma, and Biogen to further its mission to empower educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Support from these partners has allowed Beyond Benign to create resources, foster relationships, and provide essential funding to educators, all in an effort to grow and strengthen the Green Chemistry education community.

UC Santa Barbara is a Dow academic partner and GCC signer. Discover the university’s story in our interview with Chemistry Lecturer Morgan Gainer.

 

How has being part of the GCC impacted your institution and you as a faculty member?

I am the director for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories at UCSB and have appreciated the many resources that the GCC has available to facilitate the implementation of green chemistry principles and practices. We have implemented green chemistry practices into many of our organic chemistry experiments, allowing us to highlight green chemistry at the same time that students are learning about fundamental organic chemistry reactions and techniques. This implementation has resulted in reduced waste generation, improved performances in the students’ experiments, and a greater understanding for our students of the importance of green chemistry.

 

What student outcomes have you observed since instituting green chemistry practices and principles?

We have observed that students are gaining a great appreciation for, and understanding of, green chemistry principles. We have been able to incorporate many green principles into our educational labs. As part of this incorporation, we have them evaluate an experiment to determine in what ways the experiment does or does not meet the principles of green chemistry.  The students have responded positively to this experience, and it is clear that they understand the value of green chemistry, both for themselves personally and for society as a whole. 

 

How do you envision the GCC community supporting the future green chemistry goals of your institution and training of your students?

We will continue to design and implement educational experiences for our students that incorporate green chemistry principles. I believe the GCC community overall has a passion for both green chemistry and education, and that the GCC can play an important role as educators support one another in their efforts to train up the next generation of chemists and scientists.

 

Read more, including a selection of impact stories from six of Dow’s academic partners and their reflections on green chemistry education.

An interview with Conrad Jones

In 2013, Beyond Benign created the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) program with guidance from higher education institutions as a framework to unite the global green chemistry community. The GCC goal is to infuse green chemistry into Higher Education and give scientists the required skills to design processes and products less hazardous to human health and the environment.

Beyond Benign has partnered with companies including Dow, MilliporeSigma, and Biogen to further its mission to empower educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Support from these partners has allowed Beyond Benign to create resources, foster relationships, and provide essential funding to educators, all in an effort to grow and strengthen the green chemistry education community.

Southern University is a Dow grant winner and GCC signer. Discover the university’s story in our interview with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Conrad Jones.

 

How has being part of the GCC impacted your institution and you as a faculty member?

The impact that GCC has on our chemistry department at Southern University has been tremendous. STEM students enrolled in our General Chemistry courses are introduced to green chemistry concepts in both lecture and lab courses. During this 2022-2023 academic year, green chemistry concepts have been incorporated in General Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry courses. 

As a faculty member, I am very thrilled and appreciative of being part of the GCC in helping students and faculty in the chemistry department as well as other departments at Southern University. In addition, it has given me the opportunity to provide students with the knowledge and skills to learn and apply green chemistry concepts to chemistry to prepare them for the workforce in the area of green chemistry.

 

What student outcomes have you observed since instituting green chemistry practices and principles?

Since the start of implementing green chemistry concepts and practices into the chemistry curriculum at Southern University, we have noticed that many students have developed a strong interest in knowing more about green chemistry and inquire about being involved in green chemistry projects in the chemistry department at Southern University. Each semester since being awarded the grant, a faculty member in our department has given a Zoom presentation about green chemistry and its applications in a given area of chemistry. During these presentations, we present students with questions before, during, and after the presentations in regard to their knowledge of green chemistry. Even though many students had heard about green chemistry before the talk, few students had a real sense of what green chemistry is and its role in our society. However, during and after the presentations, many of those students were able to define and know what green chemistry is and its significance to society and the environment.  

 

How do you envision the GCC community supporting the future green chemistry goals of your institution and training of your students?

I envision that the GCC community will continue to greatly support our green chemistry goals and training of our students at Southern University. However, I also want our chemistry department and our university to aid the GCC community’s mission and objective to talk about green chemistry and be very active with GCC and the community. With GCC’s continuing support of Southern University and its students, our students can become effective contributors in showing others how to use green chemistry to enhance the quality of life and the environment. I am very appreciative and thankful for the opportunity that Beyond Benign and Dow Chemical has given to my fellow co-PIs on this grant (Dr. Wendy Wang and Dr. Maryam Jahan), the Southern University Chemistry Department, and Southern University for being part of the GCC community.  

 

Read more, including a selection of impact stories from six of Dow’s academic partners and their reflections on green chemistry education.

An interview with Rob Maleczka and James E. “Ned” Jackson

In 2013, Beyond Benign created the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) program with guidance from higher educatio

ninstitutions as a framework to unite the global green chemistry community. The GCC goal is to infuse green chemistry into Higher Education and give scientists the required skills to design processes and products less hazardous to human health and the environment.

Beyond Benign has partnered with companies including Dow, MilliporeSigma, and Biogen to further its mission to empower educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Support from these partners has allowed Beyond Benign to create resources, foster relationships, and provide essential funding to educators, all in an effort to grow and strengthen the Green Chemistry education community.

Michigan State University (MSU) is a Dow grant winner and GCC signer. Discover the university’s story in our interview with Professor Rob Maleczka and Professor James E. “Ned” Jackson.

 

How has being part of the GCC impacted your institution and you as a faculty member?

Rob: At Michigan State, green chemistry has long been part of the conversation. (After all, “Go Green” is part of the MSU lexicon!) For example, minimizing waste was among the drivers that led us to move to microscale labs decades ago. But making the Green Chemistry Commitment brought a sharper focus to those conversations, and teaching green chemistry became a more concrete goal. This is perhaps best illustrated by changes in our large enrollment organic sequence to labs that are not only inquiry-based but also built around Principles of Green Chemistry. We also now include a module on green chemistry in our course on chemical safety. And I think signing the GCC has provided added value to Professor Ned Jackson’s long running freshman seminar course on Green Chemistry. For me personally, being part of the GCC has motivated me not so much to change the specific body of chemistry that I’m teaching, but to change aspects of how I present that same chemistry.

Ned: Most of my own Green Chemistry activities are local. For instance, in my majors’ organic lectures, I describe and broadly illustrate the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, including a special session on GC research at MSU. In my freshmen Green Chemistry seminar, besides the 12 Principles, we draw on environmental and historical stories of chemical syntheses (Hock cumene-phenol process), disasters (tetraethyllead in gasoline; global warming), triumphs (freons for refrigeration…) and unintended consequences (…but then ozone layer problems), showing how deep chemical understanding is needed to address many of the worlds largest problems. My own lab’s research has long had a focus on development of paths to make organic products and fuels from non-fossil sources. It is useful to know that the GCC offers resources and insights that I can access to enrich the work, both teaching and research. As an institution, and in collaboration with our chemical education colleagues, MSU has fully redesigned and updated our large non-majors organic lab experiences to include experiments that illustrate GC principles and metrics.

 

What student outcomes have you observed since instituting green chemistry practices and principles?

Rob: Students who are interested in joining my lab as undergraduate researchers are most definitely motivated by the prospect of making chemistry greener and more environmentally friendly. Perhaps just as significantly, they often bring with them pertinent green chemistry knowledge (e.g. which solvents are green and which aren’t). With the transformation of our lab courses, we now see students drawing conclusions made through the lens of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. Of course, what I’d like to think is that we’ve built the principles into their broader views on the environment and sustainability, as well as society and the economy. To be honest, I don’t know if we have achieved these larger outcomes. But this question has got me thinking that we should try to find out!

Ned: Students show gains in awareness and desire to connect chemistry to broader interests in environmental science, sustainability, critical evaluation of news and advertising, etc. Overall, their appreciation of chemistry as much more than an academic subject is expanded. Also growing is student interest in participating in research projects aimed at “greening” the world’s major chemical processes—energy, plastics, pharmaceuticals, recycling, etc.

 

How do you envision the GCC community supporting the future green chemistry goals of your institution and training of your students?

Rob: Maybe the GCC community can help with the last part of my answer to question 2! I see the GCC community as a catalyst that leads us to further refresh and renew Chemistry’s curriculum. As we do so, Beyond Benign’s resource gathering and sharing is sure to be helpful.  Ideally, I’d also like to envision the GCC community becoming even more integrated in graduate education and training. In this regard, bringing more industrial partners into the community to better chart the role green chemistry can play in the professional development of our students would be terrific. Lastly, it would be a violation of some sort of faculty code if I didn’t say: it would also be terrific if to help support green chemistry goals, the GCC community were to work together on finding new ways to shake loose the needed funding from our respective administrations!

Ned: Though there is much material we draw on even within the academic ecosystem of MSU, I think we need to more thoroughly survey the offerings and exploit the stories and expertise accessible via our connection to the GCC. It is inspiring to have a clearinghouse for the creativity others have brought to both teaching and research efforts, illustrating both the significant needs, and the dynamism and versatility of tools, ideas, and new options that chemistry still offers. 

 

Read more, including a selection of impact stories from six of Dow’s academic partners and their reflections on green chemistry education.

An interview with Andrea Oseolorun

In 2013, Beyond Benign created the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) program with guidance from higher education institutions as a framework to unite the global Green Chemistry community. The GCC goal is to infuse Green Chemistry into Higher Education and give scientists the required skills to design processes and products less hazardous to human health and the environment.

Beyond Benign has partnered with companies including Dow, MilliporeSigma, and Biogen to further its mission to empower educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Support from these partners has allowed Beyond Benign to create resources, foster relationships, and provide essential funding to educators, all in an effort to grow and strengthen the Green Chemistry education community.

Prairie View A&M University is a Dow academic partner and GCC signer. Discover the university’s story in our interview with Dr. Andrea Oseolorun.

 

How has being part of the GCC impacted your institution and you as a faculty member?

Signing on to the GCC has opened so many doors for our department, including new collaborations, new research directions, increased interest in more green and sustainable chemistry projects and proposals, more publications targeting green chemistry journals, and a new green chemistry course based on resources provided by Beyond Benign and other partners.

As a scientist from an interdisciplinary background in a department filled with Ph.D. chemists, [the GCC] has given me a voice and a way to show what I can offer to the academy. It has also allowed me to introduce my students to a subject that is of particular interest to me coming from an environmental science background.

 

What student outcomes have you observed since instituting Green Chemistry practices and principles?

I’ve always envisioned creating an environmental chemistry course in my department, and the encouragement I’ve received from the GCC community has built my confidence to move forward with the project. I have found my feet and my voice, literally, and I am looking forward to bigger things because of the assistance from my colleagues in the GCC. I have experienced a genuine sense of belonging as a scientist that was not there before.

It’s also helped me connect with new colleagues and students across the globe. I’ve met students in Berlin who are doing great work to advance green chemistry in the University. I have talked with colleagues in Canada and multiple states across the U.S., and I hope to work on research projects in the future.

 

How do you envision the GCC community supporting the future green chemistry goals of your institution and training of your students?

We hope to always have a forum to share our ideas and also learn from the community. We would like to see more outreach to support our efforts to increase awareness of the benefits of this new, more sustainable enterprise and how vital green chemistry education is to student success.

 

Read more, including a selection of impact stories from six of Dow’s academic partners and their reflections on green chemistry education.

An interview with Jane Wissinger

In 2013, Beyond Benign created the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) program with guidance from higher education institutions as a framework to unite the global Green Chemistry community. The GCC goal is to infuse Green Chemistry into Higher Education and give scientists the required skills to design processes and products less hazardous to human health and the environment.

Beyond Benign has partnered with companies including Dow, MilliporeSigma, and Biogen to further its mission to empower educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. Support from these partners has allowed Beyond Benign to create resources, foster relationships, and provide essential funding to educators, all in an effort to grow and strengthen the Green Chemistry education community.

The University of Minnesota (UMN) is a Dow academic partner and founding GCC signer. Discover the university’s story in our interview with Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor, Jane Wissinger.

How has being part of the GCC impacted your institution and you as a faculty member?

Since signing the GCC in 2013, many new and diverse initiatives evolved through the support and resources provided through this program. Green chemistry was already incorporated in the organic laboratory course, but the GCC sparked interest in developing a dedicated green chemistry upper-division lecture course. This course has been taught by five different faculty instructors, each with their own influences and research connections, expanding the breadth and diversity in green chemistry and engineering concepts for our students.

Being part of the GCC encouraged the addition of toxicology into the course and fostered collaborations with departments such as the MN School of Public Health as well as state agencies such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Personally, these interactions opened opportunities of learning and examples of new curriculum content to continue improving upon my own courses as well as disseminating ideas to other instructors for their courses.

What student outcomes have you observed since instituting Green Chemistry practices and principles?

Student outcomes are evident at both the undergraduate and graduate student levels. At the undergraduate level, students who were introduced to green chemistry were increasingly interested in research opportunities where they could apply the principles. In the last three years, the ACS MN student chapter made a concerted effort to increase green chemistry programming and won a Green Chemistry Chapter award in 2022.

At the graduate student level, two major efforts have emerged. One involves our department’s Joint Safety Team (JST) that promotes reducing risk through substitution or elimination of the hazards when possible and provides resources through their website. Second, is a new committee called the Sustainable and Green Chemistry committee that is comprised of graduate students, staff, postdocs, undergraduates, and faculty all working together to build a culture of sustainability and green chemistry in the department. The graduate students, in particular, are working to improve sustainability practices in the research laboratories.

How do you envision the GCC community supporting the future green chemistry goals of your institution and training of your students?

I believe it is important that students at all levels see evidence that their academic training will be relevant to their future careers, and that their careers will have an impact on society. This applies to both academic and industrial positions. The fact that companies such as DOW are backing this initiative is of HUGE consequence and illustrative of the fact that green and sustainable chemistry is increasingly valued by the entire chemical enterprise; not just educators.

I envision the GCC continuing to provide a strong community of educators with resources and opportunities to build bridges between student training and industrial partners. This will enable chemistry students to see themselves in a career that can have a profound impact for the future.

 

Read more, including a selection of impact stories from six of Dow’s academic partners and their reflections on green chemistry education.

Amidst a pandemic that challenged educators and the education system, Beyond Benign and Dow successfully designed and launched the first Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards to advance green chemistry at Dow’s partners institutions. Five institutions applied, and three universities were awarded a combined total of $30,000 for their year or multi-year projects. Through the awards, the three institutions will design approximately 10 teaching resources for undergraduate courses, which will help bring green chemistry directly to 3,000+ students each year.

Michigan State University

Michigan State University (MSU) is a research university in East Lansing, Michigan (USA) founded in 1855. With 40 faculty members, its interdisciplinary Chemistry department can reach about 10,000 students yearly. MSU has joined Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment program in 2018 with the goals of integrating green chemistry throughout its departmental research, teaching, and service. The implementation of green chemistry in MSU is currently not only performed in faculty and student research, but in its organic and green chemistry courses, as well as in its Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and safety course.

MSU has undertaken a project to transition its large-enrollment undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course to a Green Chemistry Project-Based laboratory. Under faculty supervision, a small group of undergraduate students have been beta testing this project which aims to cultivate students’ analytical thinking, effective citizenship, effective communication, and integrated reasoning abilities. With the funding obtained through Dow and Beyond Benign’s first Green Chemistry Education Challenge Award grant, MSU was enabled to plan and carry out the Green Chemistry Project-Based laboratory course investigation and evaluation while supporting the beta-testing undergraduate students. The implementation of MSU’s new laboratory will be able to reach approximately 1,300 students who take the Green Chemistry Project-Based laboratory course each year. Upon the completion of its study, MSU plans to publish its findings online with free access and share them at upcoming conferences so these resources can be adopted, incorporated, and practiced within the global green chemistry community and beyond.

University of California, Berkeley

With over 65 faculty members, the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry (BCGC) at the University of California (UC) Berkeley (USA) has been a Green Chemistry Commitment Signer since 2013. Their Chemistry program is able to reach more than 16,000 students annually and it is currently advancing green chemistry through research, teaching, and engagement in interdisciplinary areas. The goal is to place green chemistry, alongside carbon-neutral technologies, as a cornerstone of environmentally sustainable development and the green economy.

At UC Berkeley, faculty members, instructors, and graduate students have adjusted a published green chemistry experiment to fit the needs and resources of an introductory organic chemistry lab class (CHEM 3AL) attended by approximately 600 non-majors. In the initial experiment entitled ‘Student-Designed Green Chemistry Experiment for a Large-Enrollment, Introductory Organic Laboratory Course’ by Wu et al., students performed a “standard” procedure and then adjusted a variable of their choice to make it greener. UC Berkeley students tested the initial experiment, which then allowed faculty and instructors to pinpoint areas in which it required improvement for its incorporation into the CHEM 3AL course.

The Green Chemistry Education Challenge Award offered by Beyond Benign and Dow allowed UC Berkeley to support and compensate the two graduate students involved in this project. Besides the creation of a slide deck with the material developed, a survey to analyze students’ attitude towards green chemistry’s relevance was designed. The materials created along with the project will be implemented in the Spring 2023 semester and will be made available to other institutions.

Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

As a Green Chemistry Commitment Signer since 2021, Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical (A&M) College is a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (USA). This institution has the goal to increase the implementation of green chemistry practices in its biochemistry, general, organic, inorganic, analytical, environmental, and physical chemistry courses, while also continuing to foster inclusion and belonging for populations underrepresented in STEM areas. At Southern University, more than 3,000 students are learning concepts and obtaining hands-on experience in the application and importance of green chemistry in creating more benign materials to human health and the environment.

The Green Chemistry Education Challenge Award grant offered by Beyond Benign and Dow has allowed Southern University and A&M College to be able to continue the path of implementing green chemistry in its courses. Since the beginning of this journey, many students and faculty members have gained much more interest in the area. The work developed by Southern University A&M College is an inspiration for the incorporation of green chemistry into the curriculum of universities that mainly serve underrepresented individuals, and would therefore enhance the curriculum at those institutions to better prepare their students for their future careers. Moreover, the funding received has allowed Southern University and A&M College to use results, ideas, and other findings from this project as preliminary data to obtain future funding in green chemistry, which will continue to help Southern foster relationships with other institutions as well as its local community and K-12 schools.

Read more, including a selection of impact stories from six of Dow’s academic partners and their reflections on green chemistry education.

The Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) Summit held in June brought together passionate leaders and experts in the field of green chemistry, delivering thought-provoking presentations that left a lasting impact. With an emphasis on community support, this event celebrated the GCC’s 10th anniversary and the transformative power of collective action within the green chemistry community.

The summit showcased visionary speakers who ignited inspiration among attendees with their remarkable achievements and innovative ideas. Their words echoed a common theme: the urgent need for a strong sense of community and collaboration within the green chemistry movement. By uniting professionals, educators, and advocates under a shared vision, the summit emphasized that progress in green chemistry goes beyond individual efforts and requires collective support and knowledge sharing.

The GCC launched in June of 2013 with 13 founding signatories. The program was designed around four student learning objectives — theory, toxicology, laboratory skills, and application — as a framework of departmental change at higher education institutions. The GCC program is the result of collaboration between leaders in the green chemistry community, and to date, 130 institutions have signed on, representing approximately 2,900 of faculty members who teach approximately 733,000 students every year. The Commitment is free and open to all chemistry departments.

In this article, we delve into highlights and insights from the GCC Summit, exploring the groundbreaking discussions that took place. By celebrating the contributions of these visionary speakers, we uncover the immense potential for revolutionizing our world toward achieving a sustainable future through green chemistry.

Sign up for our newsletter to learn how to attend future GCC Summit events.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Amy Cannon, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Beyond Benign:

“Let’s take a minute to think big. Imagine that you’re not the only champion for green chemistry at your institution. There’s a future where this can happen. Imagine if you didn’t have to explain the value of green chemistry to colleagues or other professionals. Imagine if we had a common grounding in green chemistry. Imagine if research and implementation within the laboratory setting just included toxicity and hazard as key design criteria. Imagine if students entering professional careers were prepared with these skills. Imagine if green chemistry was just the norm, not the exception. 

We’re getting closer. How do we get to this future that we can all envision? Our vision is that the molecular building blocks of products that we use every day are safe and healthy for humans and the environment. We think this has to start with education. It has to start at the beginning. And that’s our mission. That’s why we do what we do. 

There’s another key piece here, and that’s innovation. These two pieces together, education and innovation, are essential for making that future in which green chemistry is the norm. It starts with all of you.”

Natalie O’Neil, Director of Higher Education at Beyond Benign:

“It starts with you, but it doesn’t end with you. What’s really impactful about the people here is that they bring green chemistry to their own work, and they don’t stop there. You’re out there championing for others to do it too because you truly believe it’s the way that they should teach chemistry. You are my heroes. You are the ones that see the barriers and continue to charge toward them. Thank you for all that you do for you but also for others.”

John Warner, Co-Founder of Beyond Benign:

“There are so many approaches to sustainability. It makes me so sad that we’re in a society where people have decided that some approaches are correct and some are wrong. ‘This is better, and this is not.’ Our world has a diverse set of problems. We humans are a diverse species. Everything is worthy. We just need to find a way to work together to support each other. 

Society has reached a point where everything is polarized. But we in chemistry have an entire 150 year history of not taking sides. There’s a lot of serious stuff happening in the world right now. We can’t afford polarization. We need to be disciplined not only in how we communicate to the outside world, but in how we treat one another. 

Imagine if tomorrow everyone woke up and wanted sustainability. Every consumer insisted on buying, every retailer insisted on selling, and every manufacturer insisted on creating sustainable technologies. We’ve got a lot of work to do. The vast majority of these technologies haven’t been invented yet. We make a mistake when we think of this as a crisis of desire.”

Areej Nitowski, Green Chemistry Education Manager for MilliporeSigma:

“Education plays a vital role in countering the distrust of science and connecting students with tangible solutions. We must update our curricula to emphasize the importance of chemistry in affecting positive change in our world. By signing the Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Commitment, educators are not entering into a binding contract, but rather expressing their willingness to incorporate green chemistry principles into their teaching practices. As educators, we have a profound influence on students, and we must not lose sight of the impact we can have. 

The current perception of science is distorted, and we face challenges in gaining public trust and credibility. Students often question the relevance of what they learn, and we must bridge the gap between their lives and the significance of green chemistry. John Dewey, considered the father of public education, said, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.” It resonates with me because, as a chemistry educator, I see the need for change in curriculum. I compare the curriculum I studied in the 1980s with today’s, and it is disheartening to find that it remains largely unchanged. We need to make the connection between chemistry and environmental science to empower students to make a difference. 

It’s crucial that we amplify our voices and take action. Implementing green chemistry in the curriculum may seem challenging, but it is a necessary step toward a more sustainable future. By taking the Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Commitment, we enhance our institutions’ reputations, curriculums, and degree programs. It also attracts students who are increasingly interested in sustainability. Sustainability cannot be achieved without green chemistry, and we need to make students aware of the professional opportunities and personal impact that green chemistry offers. Let’s continue to inspire and educate, recognizing the multiplier effect our efforts can have.”

Paul Anastas, Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment at Yale:

“You are all giants. What I mean by that is the challenge you’re undertaking is immense. It’s not just about the daily work; it’s about bringing about a conceptual and cultural change. Your colleagues, although brilliant and accomplished, often know very little about green chemistry. Convincing them to embrace this new way of thinking is not easy. It challenges their intellectual status quo and their sense of importance. Persuading students to embrace green chemistry is also a significant challenge, as it touches their identity. However, I have seen many of you slowly make progress by acknowledging and appreciating their efforts and highlighting the importance of green chemistry. It’s inspiring to witness.

Another remarkable thing I’ve observed is that you are driving a shift in mindset. Rather than focusing solely on measuring the extent of problems related to sustainability, environmental issues, and human health, you are actively seeking solutions. Understanding the problem deeply is crucial, but the ultimate goal is to empower and inform the solution. This change in mindset is essential, and it’s incredible to witness your dedication to thoughtful design and green chemistry solutions.

However, there is always room for improvement. We need to rethink how we teach introductory chemistry and engage students more effectively. We should encourage them to think beyond the prescribed curriculum and ask insightful questions that trigger bigger ideas. While technology like AI can provide answers, it cannot generate the thought-provoking questions that foster deeper thinking. Asking the right questions and guiding students to transform data into knowledge and wisdom is where your expertise truly shines.

I want to reference Isaac Newton’s famous quote about standing on the shoulders of giants. By saying that you are giants, I mean that you are willing to lift others onto your shoulders so they can see new horizons. Knowledge is not isolated; it’s about relevance and sharing wisdom. As giants in your field, you have the power to help students see new possibilities, understand why they matter, and inspire action. Remember, giants may not see the horizon themselves, but they enable others to see it and make a difference.”

INSPIRING SESSION SUMMARIES

Meredith Williams, Director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control:

In her presentation, Meredith highlighted the work of the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) in managing toxic chemicals in California. The DTSC is responsible for remediating the effects of past industrial practices, overseeing cleanup efforts for contaminated lands, and ensuring the safe management of hazardous materials. The DTSC also emphasizes their commitment to promoting safer consumer products by encouraging companies to adopt green chemistry practices and eliminate toxic materials from their products. In her talk, Meredith mentioned the challenges identified in a report commissioned by the California legislature, including gaps in chemical investigation and disclosure, safety measures, and technology innovation. The DTSC has been actively addressing these gaps through regulations, partnerships with academic institutions, and collaborations with other regulatory authorities.

In addition, Meredith discussed the importance of data disclosure and transparency, advancements in computational toxicology, and the role of green chemistry in driving innovation and finding alternatives to harmful chemicals. The DTSC is committed to a precautionary approach, focusing on comprehensive hazard assessments and promoting the use of safer chemicals.

Jane Wissinger, Distinguished University Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota:

During her presentation, Jane highlighted the importance of green chemistry education at the University of Minnesota. She discussed various initiatives and achievements related to green chemistry within her department and shared how students’ excitement about green chemistry experiments fueled their research program. Jane emphasized the involvement of students, faculty, and the ACS student chapter in promoting green chemistry education. She also mentioned the incorporation of green chemistry principles in lecture and lab courses, as well as the University’s focus on safety and collaboration with Dow Chemical. Lastly, Jane discussed the establishment of a Sustainable & Green Chemistry Committee (SGC) and graduate students’ initiatives in social environmental justice and sustainable research labs. Students’ enthusiasm and involvement, along with faculty support and safety programs, have contributed to the integration of green chemistry principles in various aspects of the University of Minnesota’s curriculum and operations.

Dalila Kovaks, Professor at Grand Valley State University:

At the Summit, Dalila discussed the chemistry department at Grand Valley State University, a predominantly undergraduate institution, focusing on their student population and programs. She highlighted the history of the green chemistry initiative at the university, including the introduction of special topic classes that generated student enthusiasm and led to the development of additional courses. Dalila emphasized the importance of partnerships with local businesses, collaboration with the Michigan Green Chemistry Education Network, and support from the university administration and ACS Green Chemistry Institute. She discussed the challenges she faced in making changes to the school’s curriculum and attracting the attendance needed to keep new courses in session. She also explained the value of the green chemistry certification, and survey responses from local businesses regarding their interest in hiring individuals with green chemistry knowledge. She noted the need for expertise in specific areas, such as polymers, and encourages collaboration and future improvement in green chemistry education and research.

Douglas Raynie, Department Head & Professor Emeritus at South Dakota State University:

In his presentation, Doug discussed his journey with green chemistry over the past 10 years and the challenges he faced in getting administrators on board. He emphasized the importance of administrators embracing green chemistry principles and recommended watching John Warner’s inspiring talks on YouTube. Doug highlighted the integration of green chemistry into his curriculum, including the introduction of the 12 principles in general chemistry courses, toxicology in organic chemistry experiments, and a standalone toxicology course. He mentioned his involvement in research projects and the success of his students’ affiliate club in receiving the green chemistry award. Doug reflected on the debate of standalone green chemistry courses versus integration throughout the curriculum and stressed the need for champions, but involving everyone in the process as champions can not be relied upon. He explored future opportunities such as implementing virtual reality in chemistry education, the potential relationship between the ACS Bridge Program and green chemistry, and the proposal for an online graduate certificate in green chemistry education. Finally, he shared and celebrated the newly updated ACS CPT Guidelines for Bachelor’s Degree Programs. The New CPT Guidelines were released in January of 2023, signposting green chemistry and sustainability as a critical requirement for chemistry coursework at institutions. Additional mention of green chemistry is included as normal expectations and markers of excellence. This is a long needed carrot for the chemistry education community and an indicator that green chemistry is becoming more of the rule, rather than the exception.

Our higher ed team hosted monthly Green Chemistry Connections events, where higher education and industry leaders actively practicing green chemistry and/or Toxicology shared their experiences. These events provided an opportunity for small group discussions, networking, and resource sharing, following the Green Chemistry Students Learning Objectives as a framework. Throughout the year, we hosted 244 faculty and students during our Connections series, 38% of which attended more than one meeting, for a total of 422 engagements across 9 meetings. Meeting topics ranged from favorite resources, to implementation models from around the world, to useful green chemistry tools used in real-world industry practice. If you’d like to discover our 2022-2023 GCC Connection series, please check out the archived webinar to watch the presentations. 

Don’t miss out on next year’s Connection series, which will feature green chemistry leaders, opportunities to interact with the community, and plenty of resources to share! Register for the free series here!

Discover our 2022-2023 GCConnections series:

Theme: Fabulous Fabrics
with Dr. Julian Silverman (Assistant Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology NY) and Dr. Dean Campbell (Professor, Bradley University).

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Theme: Implementation of the Green Chemistry Commitment
with Dr. Nasrin Mirsaleh-Kohan (Associate Professor, Texas Woman’s University – TWU), Niki Juhl, and Tisha Mendiola Jessop (Senior Instructors, University of Colorado Colorado Springs – UCCS).

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Theme: Green Chemistry in Latin America
with Dr. Edson Grandisoli (Education Coordinator and Ambassador, Circular Movement), Leticia Dantas and Fernando Maturi (São Paulo State University – UNESP), Sabrina Ferreira, Gabriela Trisch de Quadros (Federal University of Pelotas – UFPel), Maria Victória Barros, Thalia Ayane, Larissa Nogueira, and José Victor Lopes (Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro – Duque de Caxias, IFRJ).

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Theme: Tools in Green Chemistry
with Tony Phan (Naturals Production and Methods Manager, MANE), Dr. Philippa Payne (Associate Director, Gilead Sciences), Dr. Shegufa Merchant (Assistant Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland), Dr. Alexey Leontyev and Krystal Grieger (Assistant Professor and Graduate Student, North Dakota State University).

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Theme: Towards a Global Community of Transformation in Green Chemistry Education (Part I)
with Dr. Karolina Mellor (Program Director, Yale University) and Dr. Samson Alayande (Associate Professor, First Technical University).

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Theme: From Land to Sea: A Connection Between Decolonization and Renewable Resources
with Dr. Avtar Matharu (Professor, University of York) and Dr. Tova Williams (Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University).

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Theme: Towards a Global Community of Transformation in Green Chemistry Education (Part II)
with Dr. John De Backere (Assistant Professor, University of Toronto), Dr. Edu Inam (Professor, University of Uyo), Dr. Vânia Zuin Zedler (Professor, Leuphana University), Dr. Mageswary Karpudewan (Associate Professor, Universiti of Sains Malaysia).

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Theme: Local and Global Actions for a Sustainable Future
with Dr. Francesca Kerton with (Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland), Christina Greever (Senior Programs Manager, My Green Lab), Graziana Gigliuto (International Secretary, Green Sciences for Sustainable Development – GSSD – Foundation), Dr. João Borges (Senior Researcher, University of Aveiro).