2008 Woodie Awards
Father of Green Chemistry Visits Hendrix
L.J. Bryant
Issue date: 2/10/06 Section: News
In today's society, it seems like opinion on any issue of public policy is quickly divided between conservative and liberal positions. The debate over environmental concerns is one of the best examples of how unhealthy such a polarization can be. Conventional wisdom has it that there must be a trade-off between economic growth and environmental health, and that environmentalists must be the natural enemies of the forces of business. But, says Dr. Paul Anastas, not only is that dichotomy untrue, it is a dangerous myth that ultimately costs taxpayers, business, and the planet.
Dr. Paul Anastas, father of the field of green chemistry, visited Hendrix on Feb. 2 and 3. Presently the director of the Green Chemistry Institute in Washington D.C., he has been an industrial consultant, written seminal books in the field of green chemistry, and has directed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under both Presidents Clinton and Bush. Rather than looking for trade-offs between the market and the earth, Anastas argued that we must create a better synthesis between the two.
"Our economy exists within our society," he said Thursday, "and our society exists within our environment."
The key to creating a more ecologically sound society lies in green chemistry, he said, which is essentially about addressing environmental problems at their most fundamental level: the molecular one. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. The fundamental idea of green chemistry is that the chemical designer is responsible for considering what will happen to the world after the agent is put into place.
Anastas spoke about the two ways of looking at the environment: circumstantial and intrinsic.
"Green chemistry focuses on the intrinsic element of how to fundamentally change the chemical to make it more environmentally friendly instead of simply looking at the circumstantial views of handling and exposure," he said.
Dr. Paul Anastas, father of the field of green chemistry, visited Hendrix on Feb. 2 and 3. Presently the director of the Green Chemistry Institute in Washington D.C., he has been an industrial consultant, written seminal books in the field of green chemistry, and has directed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under both Presidents Clinton and Bush. Rather than looking for trade-offs between the market and the earth, Anastas argued that we must create a better synthesis between the two.
"Our economy exists within our society," he said Thursday, "and our society exists within our environment."
The key to creating a more ecologically sound society lies in green chemistry, he said, which is essentially about addressing environmental problems at their most fundamental level: the molecular one. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. The fundamental idea of green chemistry is that the chemical designer is responsible for considering what will happen to the world after the agent is put into place.
Anastas spoke about the two ways of looking at the environment: circumstantial and intrinsic.
"Green chemistry focuses on the intrinsic element of how to fundamentally change the chemical to make it more environmentally friendly instead of simply looking at the circumstantial views of handling and exposure," he said.