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Green Chemistry

Green Chemistry research is based around 12 basic principles of Green Chemistry, which were developed by Doctors Paul Anastas and John Warner.

There is now a growing international movement focused on Green Chemistry (sometimes also known as Sustainable Chemistry); see the International Affiliates listed by the Green Chemistry Institute.

There follow some examples of Green Chemistry activities:

In the US

The US EPA has set up 4 green chemistry programs (see also their Green Chemistry web site):

1. The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge.  The Challenge offers individuals, groups or organizations reward for innovations that help benefit human or environmental health.  Grants and awards are given jointly through an EPA/National Science Foundation partnership.
2. Educational materials.  EPA and American Chemical Society have partnered in efforts to ensure that green chemistry innovations are being incorporated into students’ education of chemistry.  Together, the organizations will author materials that will be accessible to every level of education, from kindergarten through undergraduate and graduate programs, and to the general public.  Until those materials can be written, however, ACS has added green chemistry sections to its latest edition of Chemistry in Context, a one semester undergraduate textbook. 
3. The Synthetic Methodology Assessment for Reduction Techniques program (SMART).  The Program is used by the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) to review manufacturing methods in new chemical submissions and is designed to complement the New Chemicals Program.   Based on the review, the OPPTS may suggest methods for pollution prevention that invoke the principles of green chemistry, however the submitter has no obligation to act on these suggestions. 
4. Green Chemistry Institute.  A partnership between the American Chemical Society (ACS) and EPA precipitated the Institute, a non-profit entity that promotes environmentally friendly chemistry by means of research, education, and communication and conveyance of information to government, advocacy, educational and corporate institutions.  The Institute holds a listserv for information exchange which is open to the public.

In Europe

The UK Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) hosts the Green Chemistry Network (GCN), which is an international network of people working on Green Chemistry . The GCN newsletter reviews Green Chemistry activities around the world.

Another of the activities of the GCN network is the production of a newsletter on Green Chemistry and the consumer (see web site), which aims to bring together retailers, consumer product companies and chemical companies.

The RSC also publishes the Green Chemistry Journal, "Publishing cutting-edge research that reduces the environmental impact of the chemical enterprise by developing alternative sustainable technologies".

The Crystal Faraday partnership, funded by the UK Government, aims to create a virtual center of excellence for green chemistry in the UK.