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The ACS Green Chemistry Institute® receives input from a variety of stakeholders and last week the GCI Advisory Board met in Washington, DC. Chaired by ACS Past President and former Chair of the Board Bill Carroll, the Advisory Board includes Concepción Jiménez-González, GlaxoSmithKline; Lauren Heine, Northwest Green Chemistry; Audrey Moores, McGill University; Michael Kirschner, Design Chain Associates, LLC; and Tony Noce, Tetra Tech and Chair of the ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement.
Advisory Board members provided guidance to GCI staff on a number of topics, including the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, the International Year of the Periodic Table, and the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. The Advisory Board discussed the recent GAO report on "Chemical Innovation: Technologies to Make Processes and Products More Sustainable" and received updates on federal policy related to green chemistry, collaborations between the green chemistry and safety communities, and progress on the environmental genome project.
The Advisory Board also received an update and provided feedback on the 2018 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, the premier venue for sharing expertise across the green chemistry and engineering community. We are thrilled to be returning to Portland, Oregon on June 18-20 for the 22nd Annual Conference with a theme of “Product Innovation Using Greener Chemistries”. In addition to 30 technical symposia, this year’s conference will feature several interactive sessions along with a product showcase demonstrating green chemistry and engineering applications in the marketplace. The early-bird deadline of April 30 is fast approaching and I encourage you to register at www.gcande.org to take advantage of the best conference rate.
At last month’s ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, GCI recognized the ACS Student Chapters that are sharing their green chemistry expertise on their campuses and within their local communities. A total of 56 Student Chapters were honored for their green chemistry activities during the Student Chapters Awards Ceremony on Sunday, March 18. Approximately 1,000 students and their faculty advisors celebrated the accomplishments of all of the Student Chapters during this high-energy ceremony.
The ACS National Meeting also provided a venue to reflect upon advances in green chemistry since the principles of green chemistry were introduced by Paul Anastas and John Warner 20 years ago. Speakers in the “State-of-the-Art: Two Decades Advancing the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry” session highlighted products and processes that address each of the principles, as well as opportunities to further promote the integration of green chemistry across the chemistry enterprise.
As we approach Earth Day, it is important to continue sharing our expertise with colleagues, students, family, and friends. Chemistry in service to humanity is a powerful message that reflects our commitment to protecting human health and the environment through the implementation of green and sustainable chemistry and engineering.
