(WNY News Now) – New York – Green chemistry is reshaping how schools approach science, teaching students to think beyond the experiment and consider their impact on the planet.
What is green chemistry? Green chemistry is the science of creating solutions. It’s chemistry that is in sync with nature. Green chemistry means designing chemical products and processes in accordance with 12 principles that have been developed to reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances. Green chemists strive to provide chemistry’s benefits in a sustainable way without harming the planet by finding safer alternatives to toxic chemicals when designing experiments or products. With green chemistry, schools and businesses in New York State can assess the relative risks posed by the chemicals used and select less-toxic materials to demonstrate green chemistry principles.
By adopting green chemistry practices in schools, students learn to consider the impacts of the chemicals they work with throughout the chemical’s life cycle, from use through disposal. In a green chemistry classroom, teachers and students alike develop an understanding of sustainability practices and see how their decisions in the lab affect their health and the environment by increasing awareness of chemical toxicity. In business, utilizing green chemistry principles not only contributes to reducing pollution at the source, it also contributes to finding innovative chemical solutions for real-world environmental problems while reducing the negative impacts from hazardous chemicals on human health and the environment. Additionally, green chemistry can eliminate hazards from existing toxic products and processes resulting in products and processes that have reduced intrinsic hazards. A green chemistry approach in schools and businesses can save money by eliminating the need to purchase toxic chemicals and dispose of them as hazardous waste, making the planet a safer place for us all.
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