Green chemistry: New eyes and new ideas in science. Keynote address by Dr. John Warner, Kellas 106, Wednesday 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Green Chemistry Will Save Your Life by Erin Etherson
Do you know that anything with a mass is composed of chemicals? Do you know that
out of the 82,000 chemicals in the world, only 10% of them are safe (“Clean Chemistry”)? Well, we are affected by an unbelievable amount of chemicals every day and some could potentially harm us and the world. Products that you never thought would or could harm you are produced with extremely harmful chemicals, for example, the plastic wrap around corn.
There is no reason for products to be produced with these extremely hazardous chemicals. If you attend John Warner’s presentation, “Green chemistry: New
eyes and new ideas in science,” you will be informed that there is a new method of
production that chemists discovered that does not use hazardous chemicals. This new
method is called green chemistry, which by definition is “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce and eliminate the use and generation of hazardous
substance” (Anastas). Green chemistry targets pollution at the first stage of a product’s
development, meaning that before pollution can be produced, its eliminated or
extremely reduced.
John Warner graduated from UMASS Boston with his Bachelor of Science degree in
chemistry and then went to get his Doctor of Philosophy degree in chemistry from
Princeton University. In 2007, John Warner and Jim Babcock founded the Warner
Babock Institute for Green Chemistry. Warner is the President, Chairman of the Board
and Chief Technology Officer of the Warner Babcock Institute. John Warner has received three awards for his work, the American Institute of Chemistry’s Northeast Division’s Distinguished Chemist of the year from 2002, the 2004 Presidential Award for
Excellence in Science Mentoring, and the Council of Science Society President’s 2008
Leadership Award. Some people might be afraid to attend John Warner’s presentation
because they fear they won’t understand what he’s talking about, but a great quality of
Warner is that he’s amazing at talking to non-chemists. This is one of the qualities that
made me want to go to his presentation (John C. Warner, Ph.D.).
Research on green chemistry started in the mid-1900s. When the results of the green
chemistry methods were discovered, Professor Hearn, from Monash University, was
intensely curious why the method hadn’t been tested earlier in time because the results
were so fascinating (Greener Chemistry). Chemists were able to discover a method to make
products that don’t use hazardous substances. Not only does green chemistry make it
able to produce products safely, but it also cuts costs and avoids waste and hazards.
During the presentation, John Warner will inform his audience on different examples of
hazardous products that will most likely surprise his listeners. You would have never
thought that the plastic around corn could harm you, right? Well, the plastic is extremely
harmful to your health and to the environment. The plastic is considered to have an
“eco-tinge,” meaning that it’s produced with extremely harmful chemicals. The plastic is
constructed with fossil fuels. Fossil fuels take millions of years to build up and are only
useful for a few hours (Everts) This product takes years to disintegrate into the Earth,
which is tremendously harmful. Companies are now beginning to produce plastic from
renewable sources, making it safer for everyone’s health and the environment. Plastic
wrap isn’t the only unexpected product that is hazardous: other examples are wool
clothing and body creams. I’d prefer to know what products are going to negatively
affect me so I can avoid them, rather than not knowing and having harm done to my
body. Therefore you should learn about this by attending John Warner’s presentation, “Green chemistry: New eyes and new ideas in science,” on a method that could change the world.
During John Warner’s presentation, he’ll be discussing many topics. He’s most likely
going to go into detail about how old production methods harm human health and cause
pollution and the advantages of green chemistry in comparison to the disadvantages of
old methods. That might not sound interesting to some people, but the chances are that
if you go, since John Warner will be talking about everyday products in terms that his
audience can understand, everyone will be itching to know more.
An example of an advantage of green chemistry that Warner may talk about may be how, through research, chemists are trying to find a way to get the E-factor of products below one, meaning there would be fewer kilograms of chemicals in a product. Today, not using green chemistry, pharmaceuticals usually have an E-factor between 100 - 150,000. If green chemistry could discover a way for products to have an E-factor lower than one, products wouldn’t generate waste or they would produce barely any waste. Also, low Efactors would contribute to a huge cost savings to waste disposal costs. Not only does green chemistry affect human health and the environment, but it would also lower many different costs.
The effects of green chemistry benefit the earth and every person, so everyone should
care about this matter and should be informed on the topic! It’s important to understand
what you’re exposing yourself to everyday and John Warner’s presentation, will inform
you on a lot that you should know. I am extremely interested in going to his
presentation. It’s going to make me realize how many “dirty” chemicals (“Clean Chemistry”) I’m harmed by every day and exactly how they affect my body.
John Warner’s presentation, “Green chemistry: New eyes and new ideas in science,” on Wednesday, April 10th, at 7:30 p.m., will inform you on all the aspects of green chemistry. You’ll walk out of his presentation knowing all about products that affect your everyday life without you knowing and how products can be developed through the method of green chemistry that won’t harm your body. You won’t regret going!
Works Cited
Braidotti, Gio. "CHEMISTRY's NEW-AGE Green Reaction." Chronicle Of Higher
Education (2012): 28-29. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
“Clean Chemistry.” Utne Reader. Nov.-Dec. 2011. Web.
"The Green Chemistry Revolution." Multinational Monitor 30.2 (2009): 32-36. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
"'Father Of Green Chemistry' To Speak In Melbourne." Chemistry In Australia 78.4
(2011): 5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
"Leadership Team." Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry : About WBI : Who
We Are : : John Warner, Ph.D. Warner Babcock, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2013.
"Beyond Benign." Beyond Benign : Green Chemistry Faq. Beyond Benign, 2007. Web.
07 Mar. 2013.
"John C. Warner, Ph.D." John C. Warner, Ph.D. The Warner Babcock Institute, n.d.
Web. 07 Mar. 2013.
Everts, Sarah. "Greener Chemistry: Everyday Products With An Eco-Tinge." New
Scientist 205.2751 (2010): 34-38. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
Warner, John. "Learn Green Chemistry." Learn Green Chemistry. A Warner Babcock
Project, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.
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