Hybrid

Members of the Beyond Benign team and community will be at ACS Spring 2026 from March 22nd to 26th! This year’s hybrid event, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, and online, will center on the theme “Collaborate. Innovate. Transform.” 👋 We look forward to connecting with you! Learn more and register here. If you are attending, stop by our kiosk (#1433) to connect, and be sure to attend our green chemistry sessions:

Bringing Green Chemistry to Life in K–12 Classrooms: Resources, Community, and Professional Development

Presented by Dr. Omar Villanueva, Beyond Benign Chief Program Officer, and Dr. Amy Cannon, Beyond Benign Co-Founder and Executive Director.

This session invites K-12 educators to explore practical strategies for integrating green chemistry into their classrooms. Participants will be introduced to Beyond Benign teaching resources, including the Soy Chemistry curriculum, classroom case studies, open-access hands-on activities, professional development opportunities, and the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community platform.

🗓️ March 22nd | 10:15-11 a.m.
📍 Room B403 — Georgia World Congress Center

 

Twelve Months of Green Chemistry at Georgia Gwinnett College

Presented by leaders from Georgia Gwinnett College, Veronica Sublet Breeden, Dr. Cynthia Woodbridge, Dr. Kathryn Zimmermann, Dr. Joseph Sloop, alongside Dr. Omar Villanueva, Beyond Benign Chief Program Officer and former Chemistry Department Chair at Georgia Gwinnett College.

This poster presentation highlights a year-long initiative engaging students and faculty with the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. Supported by a Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Education Award, the program features monthly outreach events and faculty workshops to support curriculum integration and campus-wide engagement.

🗓️ March 22nd | 12-2 p.m.
📍 Poster Session — Exhibit Hall B/C

 

The Future of Chemistry: Designing Out Pollution

Featuring Dr. Juliana Vidal, Beyond Benign Senior Program Manager, and Ann Lee-Jeffs, Beyond Benign Board Member.

This panel, presented by the C&EN Future of Chemistry Series, explores chemistry’s role in mitigating pollution and waste across product life cycles. The discussion examines emerging technologies and design strategies that reduce hazardous inputs and advance sustainable materials innovation.

🗓️ March 23rd | 1:30-3:20 p.m.
📍 Georgia World Congress Center

 

Inspiring Students with Sustainable Plastics

Presented by Cassie Lydon, K-12 Educator and Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher.

This educator session showcases classroom approaches for teaching sustainable plastics through green chemistry principles. Participants will explore curriculum activities, materials design concepts, and strategies to engage students in real-world sustainability challenges.

🗓️ March 22nd | 2:50-3:10 p.m.
📍 ChemPod 10 — Exhibit Hall B5

Celebrating Innovations in Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education: Quality Education — Green Chemistry for a Sustainable Future

Featuring Dr. Amy Cannon, Beyond Benign Co-Founder and Executive Director.

As ACS marks 150 years of advancing science, this symposium, organized by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute, highlights the expanding role of green chemistry in shaping a sustainable future. Grounded in the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal #4, the session explores progress in curricular integration and priorities for chemistry education.

🗓️ March 22nd | 2-6 p.m.
📍 Room B401 — Georgia World Congress Center

 

Partnerships as a Pathway for Green Chemistry Adoption

Presented by Dr. Melissa Hill (Vernier), in collaboration with Beyond Benign and the Lab Safety Institute.

This presentation spotlights how Vernier, Beyond Benign, and the Lab Safety Institute collaborate to create green chemistry experiments, professional development opportunities, and lab safety resources. Participants will be introduced to various tools, educator communities, and training opportunities that arise from these partnerships and will learn how to access and engage with them. By directly connecting educators with practical resources, the session illustrates how these collaborations can enhance the impact of green chemistry and support instructors in implementing sustainable laboratory practices.

🗓️ March 22nd | 4:40–5 p.m. 
📍 ChemPod 10 — Exhibit Hall B5 — Georgia World Congress Center

 

Partnerships as a Pathway for Green Chemistry Adoption

Presented by Dr. Melissa Hill (Vernier), in collaboration with Beyond Benign and the Lab Safety Institute.

This Sci-Mix poster presentation emphasizes the collaborative efforts among Vernier, Beyond Benign, and the Lab Safety Institute to promote the adoption of green chemistry in teaching laboratories. Attendees will discover how partnerships across different sectors are enhancing access to sustainable laboratory experiments, professional development programs, and safety-focused implementation strategies that make green chemistry more accessible and scalable.

🗓️ March 23rd | 8–10 p.m. 
📍 Sci-Mix Poster Session — Exhibit Hall B3/B4 — Georgia World Congress Center

 

Global Approach for a Systemic Change in Chemistry Education: Beyond Benign and the Green Chemistry Commitment Program

Presented by Beyond Benign team members Dr. Juliana Vidal (Senior Program Manager), Dr. Omar Villanueva (Chief Program Officer), and Dr. Amy Cannon (Co-Founder and Executive Director).

This presentation highlights the Green Chemistry Commitment, Beyond Benign’s global program designed to catalyze systemic change in chemistry education. By embedding green chemistry across the education continuum, institutions prepare scientists to design safer products and processes that protect human health and the environment.

🗓️ March 24th | 2:05-2:30 p.m.
📍 ChemPod 9 — Exhibit Hall B5

 

Green Chemistry Professional Mentoring Networks (GCPMNs): A New NSF-Funded Mechanism for Building Professional Development and Communities of Practice in Chemistry Education

Presented by Beyond Benign team members Dr. Jonathon Moir (Director of the GCTLC), Dr. Omar Villanueva (Chief Program Officer), Dr. Monica Soma Hensley (Instruction & Research Manager), Dr. Amy Cannon (Co-Founder & Executive Director), and community member Dr. Nikita Burrows (Associate Professor at Monmouth University).

This presentation introduces the Green Chemistry Professional Mentoring Networks, a multi-year initiative funded by the National Science Foundation to expand national capacity in green chemistry education through mentoring networks, curricular integration, and community-building research.

🗓️ March 24th | 3:35–3:55 p.m.
📍 Room B314 — Georgia World Congress Center

Join the the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant for the 2026 Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference (ECEC26) on April 28-29, 2026 online and in-person in Champaign, IL. The conference will feature presentations and poster sessions on the latest in emerging contaminants research, policies, and outreach, including research, public health, policy, management, outreach, and education. There will also be ample opportunities for discussion and networking.

This year's conference will feature sessions on:

• agricultural chemicals
• algal toxins
• per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) (including naturally occurring hormones)
• plastics and microplastics (including microplastic fibers)
• other emerging contaminants

Your Event For Greener Labs

Explore how you can make your assays, instruments, and experiments more sustainable - without much time, risk, or effort—based on real case studies. Discover where we are at and what you can do to save plastics, energy and reagents - without affecting your workflows.

This event is free to register.

Inovine Meetings LLC is delighted to invite you to the 2nd World Summit on Renewable Energy & Green Chemistry taking place on November 24-25, 2025 in Panorama Hotel Prague, Czech Republic. This year’s theme, “Powering a Sustainable Future: Innovations in Renewable Energy & Green Chemistry”, highlights the latest advancements shaping the field.

Join us on this global platform to explore diverse topics, including Green Chemistry, Renewable Energy, Circular Economy, Recycling, Biofuels, Bioenergy, Sustainable Energy, Nuclear Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Chemistry, Waste Management, Geothermal Energy, Energy Efficiency, Nano Energy & Energy Materials, Solar Energy, Turbines and Generators.

This conference provides a unique opportunity to connect with experts, share insights, and collaborate on solutions to pressing challenges in Renewable Energy and Green Chemistry.

We look forward to welcoming you to Prague, Czech Republic for this inspiring event!

ACS Meetings & Expositions are where chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. By attracting thousands of chemical professionals, the meetings provide excellent opportunities for sharing your passion for chemistry, connecting with one of the world’s largest scientific societies, and advancing your career in this ever-changing global economy.

Beyond Benign Affiliated Talks:

"Introducing students to green chemistry with real-world examples: A template for building case studies"

Prof. Thomas Umile; Thursday, August 21, 2025 from 8:25 AM - 8:45 AM; Room 142 - Walter E. Washington Convention Center

The 2025 Innovators Roundtable will be an opportunity for Change Chemistry members and non-members to engage with leading innovators, investors, and government officials in the green and sustainable chemistry space.

Structured as a series of dialogues exploring topics, the gathering will provide attendees with opportunities to meet and engage with key players from across the globe. 

The 2025 Innovators Roundtable will be hosted by Battelle in Columbus, Ohio and will consist of participants from companies across sectors and the value chain as well as consultants, academics, government, and non-profits. 

Chemistry for a Better Planet

This year’s theme is Chemistry for a Better Planet. Chemistry has led to hundreds of innovative solutions over the last several centuries and it will continue to do so. Chemistry helps us gain a better understanding of the world around us, in all facets of life: health care, environmental science, and more. Chemistry and the planet are closely intertwined with one another and there are connections at all different levels and scales. With this theme, we hope to encourage curiosity and ingenuity to explore and discover all the possibilities that exist between the two.

Thursday, June 5th, 2025

Workshop: Empowering Educators in Green Chemistry Education for a Better Planet

Veronica Mengqi Zhang, Ph.D. (Michigan State University), Monica Soma Hensley, Ph.D. (Beyond Benign) 

Workshop Description

Green chemistry education is essential for preparing students to address global environmental challenges and contribute to a sustainable and better planet. This interactive workshop aims to equip educators with the tools, knowledge, and resources required to integrate green chemistry principles into their teaching, advancing both sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and explore various examples of green curricula resources, including lesson plans, lab activities, and case studies.

This workshop provides practical approaches and resources to "green" existing lectures and lab experiments across the chemistry curriculum, as well as guidance for designing standalone green chemistry courses. Additionally, attendees will be introduced to an on-demand online course that helps educators incorporate green chemistry into their teaching, fostering deeper student engagement in sustainable practices.

Through collaborative discussions and hands-on activities, educators will leave with actionable strategies to enhance their curricula and promote environmental responsibility in their classrooms and laboratories.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand and apply the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry in educational settings to promote sustainable practices.
• Explore and access green chemistry curricula resources, including lesson plans, lab activities, and case studies, to enhance sustainability-focused education.
• Design and adapt green chemistry experiments and activities that engage students while reducing environmental impact.
• Utilize an on-demand online course designed to teach educators how to integrate green chemistry into their own courses, supporting their professional development in expanding sustainability education across curricula.

Interdisciplinary discussion bringing together policy experts from Harvard’s Kennedy School, chemical industry, and the nonprofit ChemFORWARD 

How can we reduce the impacts of the most toxic chemicals in today's supply chains? 

Join the Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program for a discussion panel on the role of information access in enhancing environmental initiatives to reduce pollution and chemical toxins. Panelists - including Harvard Kennedy School experts, industry leaders, and representatives from ChemFORWARD, the 2024 winner of the Roy Award for Environmental Partnership - will explore the challenges that the private sector faces in addressing toxic pollution, the upsides and downsides of regulatory approaches, and lessons learned from a cross-sectoral approach to chemical hazard mitigation. 

Q&A to follow. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. 

Recording: A recording of the seminar will be made available on the Belfer Center's YouTube channel. 

Registration: RSVP required. A Harvard University ID is required for in-person attendance; all are welcome on Zoom 

Register here:  https://hksexeced.tfaforms.net/f/registration?e=a4oPp000001PwRdIAK

The 17th Green Chemistry Postgraduate Summer School (GCSS 2025) continues its tradition of fostering international collaboration and advancing Green Chemistry education. Building on past successes, this prestigious event will bring together leading scientists, industry experts, and top postgraduate students to explore key topics, including:

✅ Benign synthesis routes & green catalysis
✅ Alternative solvents & renewable materials
✅ Sustainable polymers & clean processes
✅ Green chemistry for energy & education

With support from sponsors, scholarships will be awarded to outstanding students from developing countries, covering both virtual and on-site participation. Participants will also have the opportunity to present their research in poster sessions, with awards for the best contributions.

Beyond learning, GCSS 2025 provides a platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and global research collaboration. The event will take place both in-person in Venice and online.

🌱 Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the future of Green Chemistry!

Deadline for applications is April 30th, 2025.

Weston Roundtable

The Weston Roundtable is made possible by a generous donation from Roy F. Weston, a highly accomplished UW-Madison alumnus. Designed to promote a robust understanding of sustainability science, engineering, and policy, these interactive lectures are co-sponsored by the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Office of Sustainability.

Lectures are held 4:15–5:15 p.m. Thursdays in 1163 Mechanical Engineering. Some lectures will be presented online, which will require registration.

_____________________

Dr. Amy Cannon 

Amy received the world’s first Ph.D. in Green Chemistry. Holding an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Saint Anselm College (1997), Amy sought to use her chemistry degree within the field of sustainability. At the University of Massachusetts Boston, she met Dr. John Warner, who introduced her to green chemistry, a blossoming movement in the late 1990’s. It was there where they created a Ph.D. concentration in Green Chemistry, addressing the education gap in chemistry education – chemists were not being properly prepared with skills to design and create solutions to support the development and implementation of sustainable chemical products. After working in industry (Rohm and Haas, and Gillette Company) and academia (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Amy remained passionate about Green Chemistry education, recognizing the growing need for education systems to change to prepare scientists with Green Chemistry skills to address sustainability through chemistry. In 2007, Amy co-founded, Beyond Benign, a non-profit solely dedicated to advancing Green Chemistry education. Since inception, this organization has been leading Green Chemistry education initiatives in K-12 through higher education, focusing on empowering educators to make transformative change in their teaching and practice.  

Amy has been recognized for her work in research (Kenneth G. Hancock Memorial Award in Green Chemistry in 2004, for titanium dioxide semiconductors and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells) and also for her leadership in driving green chemistry education (2012 EPA New England Environmental Merit award). Beyond Benign’s work has also been recognized through the ACS NERM Partners for Progress and Prosperity (P3) Region Award (2016), and as a semi-finalist in the Buckminster Fuller Challenge (2013).  

Hear directly from Amy: 

• TEDx talk “The Promise of Green Chemistry“, TEDx Amoskeag Millyard, October 19, 2023
• On the central role that chemistry and chemistry education plays in addressing global sustainability challenges: Sustainable Innovation Through Green Chemistry Podcast (Innovation+ Talks hosted by Paul Heller)
• On the power of community to create transformative change in education

Key publications: 

• “A promise to a sustainable future: 10 years of the Green Chemistry Commitment at Beyond Benign“, Green Chemistry, 2024, Advance Article, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4GC00575A
• “Green Chemistry Teacher Professional Development in New York State High Schools: A Model for Advancing Green Chemistry“, J. Chem. Educ., 2023, 100, 6, 2224-2232.
• “Women in Green Chemistry and Engineering: Agents of Change Toward the Achievement of a Sustainable Future”, ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2022, 10, 9, 2859-2865.  
• “Safe and Sustainable Chemistry Activities: Fostering a Culture of Safety in K-12 and Community Outreach Programs”, Cannon, A.S., Keirstead, A.E., Hudson, R., Levy, I.J., MacKellar, J., Enright, M., Anderson, K.R., Howson, E.M., J. Chem. Educ., 2021, 98, 1, 71-77. 
• “A Systems Thinking Department: Fostering a Culture of Green Chemistry Practice among Students”, Dicks, A.P., D’eon, J.C., Morra, B., Chisu, C.K., Quinlan, K.B., Cannon, A.S., J. Chem. Educ., 2019, 96, 12, 2836-2844. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00287] 
• “Models for integrating toxicology concepts into chemistry courses and programs”, Cannon, Amy S., Finster, David, Raynie, Douglas, and Warner, John C., Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews, 10:4, 2017, 436-443. 
• “The Green Chemistry Commitment: Transforming chemistry education in higher education” Cannon, Amy S. and Levy, Irvin J. in The Promise of Chemical Education: Addressing our Students’ Needs, ACS Symposium Series, Vol. 1193, 2015, pp. 115-125.