It has been a full year since most of us began working from home. The accelerated rollout of vaccines brings hope for an end to the pandemic in the near future.  In the meantime, we will continue to share our science through such virtual events as the ACS Spring 2021 National Meeting, April 5-30, and the Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, June 14-18. 

By Mary Kirchhoff, Ph.D., Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute

In my last column, I reflected on the challenges we all faced in 2020, along with the unexpected opportunities presented by the pandemic.  As we wrap up the first month of 2021, I am optimistic that the new year will bring an increased focus on, and appreciation for, the role of green chemistry in achieving a sustainable future.

“A year like no other.”  I have heard many people describe 2020 in these terms.  Few of us at the beginning of the year imagined our current state of social distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The sacrifices are real:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will celebrate its 50^th anniversary on December 2. Established during the Nixon administration, the Agency has a simple, yet powerful, mission, “To protect human health and the environment.” Over the past hal

The American Chemical Society (ACS) just wrapped up its first Virtual National Meeting & Expo.  Pivoting from the planned in-person meeting to an online event proved challenging given the size of the National Meeting.  Despite these challenges, more than

Thanks to all those who joined the ACS Green Chemistry Institute for our first virtual conference the week of June 15!  It was an amazing week spent sharing green chemistry and engineering research and education, making new connections, and reconnecting w

Safety is a core value of the American Chemical Society.  You have likely seen this phrase in recent communications from ACS, such as the announcement of the termination of the ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia last month.  This core value of the Socie

April 22, 2020 marks the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day. Conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day reminds us of our obligation to care for our fragile planet. Signs of humanity’s negative impact on the environment were evident when the first Earth Da

Amazingly, another year is drawing to a close – it is hard to believe that 20 years ago we were worried about Y2K!  The end of every year brings a time for reflection on the current year and anticipation for the coming year.  2019 has been a good year for

It was lovely to see so many of you at the ACS National Meeting in San Diego in August! Green chemistry symposia were presented across numerous divisions on a variety of topics. The ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable organized a workshop, an organic sympos

We have just wrapped up the joint 23rd Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference/ 9th International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry in Reston, Virginia. We were thrilled to welcome more than 600 attendees to this year’s conference, whi

With the ACS National Meeting receding in the rearview mirror, we are rapidly accelerating toward the 23^rd Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference/9^th International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry in just over six weeks! The ACS Spri

It is hard to believe we are already approaching the end of February! Each year seems to pass more quickly than the last one and 2019 is shaping up to be a busy year for chemistry, thanks to the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Element

My sincere thanks to all who attended and helped organize last month’s Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in Portland, Oregon—what a fantastic meeting!  A total of 580 attendees shared research results, engaged in interactive discussions, and visite

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 J

Contributed by Mary M. Kirchhoff, Ph.D., Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute®; Executive Vice President of Scientific Advancement, ACS

The green chemistry community lost a friend with the passing of Ken Seddon on January 21.  Ken's stellar science, cou

December is a time for reflections on the current year as it rapidly draws to a close, along with anticipation for the year ahead.  The ACS Green Chemistry Institute’s commitment to green and sustainable chemistry and engineering was reinforced through it

This year marks the 30^th year of National Chemistry Week (NCW), which will be celebrated October 22-28. NCW is a wonderful opportunity for chemists to share their passion for chemistry with the general public, and working with your ACS local section or st

Contributed by Mary M. Kirchhoff, Ph.D., Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute®; Executive Vice President of Scientific Advancement, ACS

Summer is always a busy season for the ACS Green Chemistry Institute^® (GCI), and this year was no exception. My colle

By Mary M. Kirchhoff, Ph.D., Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®; Executive Vice President of Scientific Advancement, ACS

My colleagues and I at the ACS Green Chemistry Institute^® (GCI) are very excited that the 2017 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conf

By Mary M. Kirchhoff, Ph.D., Acting Director, ACS GCI; Executive Vice President of Scientific Advancement, ACS

I had the privilege of attending the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) “Arc of Science: Research to Results” event on Capitol Hill last evening

It is my pleasure to return to the ACS Green Chemistry Institute^® as a result of the organizational realignment announced last month by ACS Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Tom Connelly. The ACS GCI is part of the newly formed Scientific Adv

By David Constable, Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute®

Back in October, I wrote about systems thinking: what it is and why we need to think about it more in chemistry. This month, I’d like to talk about a related idea, and that is life cycle thinking

We’re very pleased with how preparations for the 21^st Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference are coming together. Our technical program chairs, Dr. David Leahy, BMS, and Dr. Amit Sehgal, Solvay, have been working very closely with us, and we ar

Contributed by David Constable, Ph.D., Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®

Planning and preparations for the 21^st Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference have continued throughout the past two months. For most people, thinking about a confer

Contributed by David Constable, Director, ACS GCI

Some of you may have read a few recent publications about the future of chemistry^{1, 2}. It’s always interesting to read articles like these to see the author’s vision of chemistry as it is now and for chemis

Contributed by David Constable, Ph.D., Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®

It’s hard to believe that three weeks have passed since we were at the 252^nd ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia. The ACS National Meetings are usually a whirlwind of activity

Contributed by David Constable, Ph.D., Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®

The pace of activities has thankfully slowed just a bit over the past month, although we are down another person with Ann Lee-Jeff’s departure to assume her role at Teva as a S

Contributed by David Constable, Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®

In less than a month we’ll be in Portland, OR, for the 20th Annual GC&E Conference and I hope many of you have made plans to attend.  We are very grateful to our Organizing Committee,

Contributed by David Constable, Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®

As we get closer to the 20th Annual GC&E​, I’d like to think that the pace of activity would slow a bit and we would be in a more settled state.  I have to say that is definitely not