Virtual

Our global community is transforming chemistry education for a sustainable future. This week, let’s share how and why we’re putting green chemistry into action! 📢

From June 10th to the 14th, in conjunction with our Green Chemistry Commitment Summit, we invite you to join our #GreenChemInAction campaign on social media by sharing specific actions you take to advance green chemistry. This campaign highlights contributions from educators, students, and industry professionals worldwide and encourages more changemakers to participate. We encourage everyone to get involved by posting about their green chemistry leadership and inviting colleagues, students, friends, and collaborators to participate. Read the steps below and invite colleagues, students, and friends to join you!
 

How to participate:

✅ Step 1: Download our #GreenChemInAction sign.
Access the sign here. You can print it, save it digitally, or create your own version.

✅ Step 2: On your sign, write how you’re advancing green chemistry.
Your commitments might include teaching, research, institutional change, or personal practice. Every action, big or small, helps build a sustainable future.

✅ Step 3: Take a photo or video holding your #GreenChemInAction sign.
We’re excited to see how community members are driving green chemistry!

✅ Step 4: Post your photo or video on social media, tag Beyond Benign, and use the hashtag #GreenChemInAction so we can amplify your efforts and inspire others. 
Your post will help spread the word and motivate more people to get involved. We’re on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky. If you’re not on social media (or if you want to have double the fun!), you can share your photo in this Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) forum!

As you may already know, Beyond Benign offers a valuable resource in partnership with Impossible Foods called Plate to Planet, which explores the intersection of chemistry, sustainability, and the future of food. If you’ve engaged with it—or are interested in applying green chemistry principles in new contexts—this is a great opportunity to go deeper.

The Good Food Institute is launching its first-ever Train-the-Trainer program, designed for high school STEM educators interested in the science and sustainability of next-generation food systems.

Participants will:
🧠 Earn 2.0 graduate credits (at no cost) along with professional development recognition
🔬 Explore the science behind plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated proteins—including products like Impossible Meat
🤝 Connect with experts from both industry and academia
📚 Create hands-on STEM lesson plans and classroom-ready activities

This free, online program runs from July 6–31, 2026, and combines live weekly sessions with flexible, self-paced content. By the end, you’ll walk away with ready-to-use resources and a stronger understanding of food system innovation.

Learn more and apply here: https://gfi.org/resource/train-the-trainer-high-school-educator-program/ Applications close June 1st. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, Janie Butler, at [email protected].

If you’re looking to integrate green chemistry principles and practices into your teaching through real-world sustainable inventions, this is the course for you!

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Ready to take green chemistry to the next level in your classroom? Have you already started replacing your labs with safer materials?

Join Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher Annette Sebuyira as you expand your knowledge of green chemistry principles and practices by analyzing Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award technologies. In this course, you’ll dive into toxicology for chemistry basics and investigate the pedagogy for effective guidance of student-based research projects and inquiry-based projects.

THIS COURSE IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF:

•  You want to support your students’ project-based learning and invention in the classroom.

•  You have completed Intro to Green Chemistry and are ready to advance to the next level.

•  You are curious about how to foster student engagement.
 

BY ENROLLING YOU’LL LEARN:

•  How to expand your knowledge of green chemistry principles and practices.

•  How to infuse student-driven projects and research into your curriculum.

•  How to develop deeper real-world chemistry connections for your students.

COURSE TOPICS INCLUDE:

•  Analyzing Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award technologies.

•  Introduction to Toxicology for chemistry basics.

•  Integration of science research into your chemistry course.

New York teachers: Apply for the Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Fellowship to implement green chemistry lessons in your classroom and lab with support from expert teacher Annette Sebuyira! This opportunity is for lab-based science teachers who have taken the Introduction to Green Chemistry for High School Teachers course and wish to take (or have previously taken) the Advanced Green Chemistry course this year. Apply by June 1st and earn 16 additional CTLE credit hours if you’re accepted. 

If you’re looking to integrate green chemistry principles and practices into your teaching through real-world sustainable inventions, this is the course for you!

ABOUT THIS COURSE

• High school chemistry teachers and middle/high school physical science teachers: Join us for a course that will support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) integration in your classes!
• In this course, Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher Cassidy Javner will help prepare you to integrate green chemistry principles and practices into your teaching through real-world sustainable inventions. You’ll also learn how to develop safer labs and lessons aligned to your local standards in an interactive online environment.
• This course features forum discussions, lesson plan development, and 3 synchronous Zoom classes. Discussions will focus on how to prepare for effective remote learning in this time of an ever-changing educational landscape.

THIS COURSE IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF:

•  You want to create a safer, more engaging learning environment

•  You’re interested in how problem-solving with chemistry helps create solutions for sustainability challenges

BY ENROLLING YOU’LL LEARN:

•  How to integrate green chemistry practices and principles into your teaching

•  How to infuse NGSS learning into your classrooms by developing safer labs and lessons

COURSE TOPICS INCLUDE:

•  Developing safer labs and lessons

•  Preparing for effective student-driven learning

•  Integrating green chemistry into your teaching

WANT MENTORSHIP SUPPORT? 

New York teachers have an opportunity to pair the Advanced Green Chemistry course with a new Fellowship opportunity for teachers interested in receiving mentorship support while integrating Green Chemistry into their curriculum.

New York Teachers: Beyond Benign is now an approved CTLE Sponsor! You can earn up to 48 CTLE credit hours, and more if you participate in the Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Fellowship. Thanks to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, these courses are free for New York teachers. For more details, contact us at [email protected].

If you’re a science teacher looking to create a safer, more engaging learning environment for your students, this is the course for you!

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Are you a science teacher looking to create a safer, more engaging learning environment for your students? Learn how to weave Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) sustainability content into your classrooms in this remote learning course for middle school and high school science teachers.

Beyond Benign Lead Teacher Erin Mayer will teach this course through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. Participants will leave with a toolkit of resources and access to a network of other like-minded educators in the region.

THIS COURSE IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF:

•  You’re interested in engaging strategies for NGSS-aligned chemistry labs

•  You want to foster a safe and engaging classroom environment

•  You’re interested in how problem-solving with chemistry helps create solutions for sustainability challenges

BY ENROLLING YOU’LL LEARN:

•  How to weave NGSS sustainability content into your classroom

•  How to spark student interest and increase self-efficacy in your classroom

COURSE TOPICS INCLUDE:

• NGSS-aligned labs featuring easily accessible and safe materials

•  Plug and play lessons for physical science in chemistry classrooms

•  Lessons based on real-world innovations

New York Teachers: Beyond Benign is now an approved CTLE Sponsor! You can earn up to 48 CTLE credit hours, and more if you participate in the Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Fellowship. Thanks to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, these courses are free for New York teachers. For more details, contact us at [email protected].

The annual CLEAR Symposium connects chemistry educators worldwide in a virtual symposium, enhancing laboratory teaching through research. Attend #CLEAR26, an online symposium on laboratory teaching in chemistry, to gain valuable insights from experts in the field! Dr. Monica Soma Hensley, Beyond Benign Higher Education Instruction and Research Manager, is a co-organizer for this year's symposium, which centers on the theme of Sustainability and Green Chemistry. 

Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to share their work on teaching and learning in the chemistry laboratory. All interested individuals are invited to submit a poster for the event that focuses on research, assessment, or evaluation related to laboratory practices.

🗓️ Date: May 7th, 2026  
📍 Location: Online  
🔗 To learn more, register, or submit a poster:

https://clearsymposium.weebly.com/registersubmissions.html

Our popular Promoting Chemistry Applied to World Needs webinar series, hosted in collaboration with IUPAC CHEMRAWN, is back for its second year! Each webinar features experts who connect chemistry to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and IUPAC’s Top 10 Emerging Technologies.

Join us on April 9th at 10 a.m. EDT for the first session of 2026! In this session, Professor Chris Slootweg of the University of Amsterdam will introduce circular chemistry as a framework for redesigning chemical production around reuse, recovery, and the conservation of critical raw materials. Through examples such as phosphate recycling, safer and more sustainable phosphate flame retardants, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers for large-scale hydrogen transport, Chris will demonstrate how chemistry can serve as a practical tool for addressing waste, resource depletion, and the demands of the energy transition.

Register for the series and meet us online on April 9th. You’ll receive the Zoom link and access to the full series upon registration.

Want to learn more about the new NSF-funded Green Chemistry Professional Mentoring Networks (PMNs) program? Thinking of applying but not sure if it's right for you? Hear from members of the Beyond Benign team as they share general information and answer questions about the program, including:

• The overarching program goals, duration and scope
• Eligibility criteria
• Benefits to participation
• Application guidelines, review criteria and requirements

Time at the end will be reserved for questions and discussion from attendees. The Zoom details are provided below, and the webinar is free and open to anyone to attend. Please note that this new NSF-funded program is limited to U.S.-based participants only. 

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Topic: Open Information Session - Green Chemistry Professional Mentoring Networks (PMNs)

Time: Mar 17, 2026 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81728594862?pwd=teiEcYRrkzlXlVfMOxlwn4OqXejdGZ.1 

Meeting ID: 817 2859 4862

Passcode: 276740

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https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/81728594862/invitations?signature=wpg7p1-VjlP2o79hBz7JUhBzLK7M_19gqQ_Y58PbkOk

This webinar is part of the 2Y3C ChemEdX virtual webinar series. Details are below:

Presenter: Jimmy Lowe, PhD (British Columbia Institute of Technology)

Abstract: Over the last few years, it has been fun experience for this instructor to test and incorporate Green Chemistry into the lab and lecture. I will provide a summary of the labs, class & safety activities that have turned ‘greener’ while increasing safety for everyone.

Attention academic leaders, students, and industry partners from Green Chemistry Commitment institutions! Join Beyond Benign and the green chemistry community at the 2026 GCC Summit to explore how to implement and scale green chemistry in higher education. Our global community can participate virtually on June 10th or in person on June 14th at the Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Now in its 9th year, the GCC Summit aims to foster deeper engagement with green chemistry across curricula, laboratories, and workforce development. The program will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, working groups, and case studies that highlight the systems, partnerships, and strategies needed to embed green chemistry at scale.

GCC Signers: Check your email for an invitation from our team and register to join us for one (or both!) of these gatherings: 

🧑‍💻 Virtual: June 10th, 2026 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT / 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. UTC
📍 In person: June 14th, 2026 | 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CDT | Marriott Rivercenter on the Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas