| ECOLOGY |
Environmentally benign processes and products were the focus of CHEMRAWN XIV, an international green chemistry conference held last week at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The conference brought together some 200 scientists and policymakers from more than 30 countries to discuss the role of chemical research and science policy in advancing global environmental protection and sustainable development. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for four important groups in the formation of policy--academia, government, nongovernmental organizations, and industry--to come together at once to focus on solutions to many of the world's problems," commented Rohm and Haas President and Chief Operating Officer J. Michael Fitzpatrick, chairman of the conference organizing committee. The objective was not simply to listen passively to the lectures, he said, but "to grapple with the technical, social, academic, and policy issues that will lead us toward environmentally benign processes and products." Topics covered included alternative reaction and separations media, catalysis, emerging biotechnology alternatives, product life-cycle management, education, and national green chemistry programs. CHEMRAWN--Chemistry Research Applied to World Needs--is an International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry program that sponsors conferences on specific topics to determine a path for future action. The green chemistry conference--which consisted of invited lectures, contributed posters, and discussion groups--was cosponsored by the American Chemical Society and the nonprofit organization Green Chemistry Institute. One outcome of the conference is a report on specific actions needed to carry out green chemistry through the promotion of industrial implementation, education, international collaboration, and basic and applied research. |
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