High school science teachers from Long Island are invited to attend a “hands-on” training on the principles of green chemistry, provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, on Nov. 6 at Sachem East, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens announced today.
“By implementing green chemistry practices, teachers and students can take pride in learning about and conducting chemistry in an environmentally responsible way that reduces the amount of hazardous materials in the classroom,” Commissioner Martens said.
Using green chemistry encourages teachers and students to consider the life cycle of the chemicals they work with and promotes awareness of chemical toxicology, focusing on sustainability and how actions in the chemistry lab can impact the environment.
This is the third green chemistry workshop offered to science teachers as part of the DEC’s Green Chemistry for New York State High Schools pilot program, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
DEC is honored to have the internationally known “Father of Green Chemistry”, John Warner, Ph.D., President of Beyond Benign and President and Chief Technology Officer of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, as one of the presenters at the Long Island green chemistry workshop. The not-for-profit organization of Beyond Benign, was created by Dr. Warner to promote a sustainable approach to chemistry and science literacy in education.
The previous two DEC green chemistry workshops were held in Liberty, Sullivan County and in Loudonville, Albany County. So far, over 60 teachers have attended these green chemistry workshops.
Sachem East was chosen by DEC as Long Island’s green chemistry candidate school. This choice was based on a chemical management needs assessment and the science teachers’ willingness to embrace and implement green chemistry practices in their classroom laboratories for one school year.
For additional information about DEC’s Green Chemistry for New York’s High Schools program, see DEC’s website at: www.dec.ny.gov/education/77750.html. Inquiries about the Long Island green chemistry workshop can be directed to: greenchemistryinschools@gw.dec.state.ny.us.
(Official press release from DEC)