2025 Technical Session

As green chemists, we recognize chemistry’s dual capacity to harm and heal the environment and have embraced innovative strategies to reduce risks. However, we have yet to unlock its untapped potential to address environmental justice issues and the disproportionate harm chemicals inflict on vulnerable communities, nor have we unlocked its potential to drive innovation to empower, educate, and protect those most impacted. This symposium will build the capacity of the green chemistry community to understand, measure, and improve environmental justice measures that will advance research, educate future generations, and create sustainable solutions.

This session will encourage information sharing about the following topics:

• Insights from fenceline communities on the impacts of chemical manufacturing and their needs for green chemistry solutions.
• Case studies demonstrating different approaches to quantitatively measure and compare environmental justice impacts.
• Curriculum examples, including labs, that engage underrepresented students while teaching green chemistry and environmental justice.
• Success stories of safer material production with positive community impacts.

By overlaying green chemistry principles with environmental justice and engaging directly with affected communities, chemists can better address the life cycle impacts of chemical production. Invited and contributed talks will include researchers, policy makers, educators, NGOs, and environmental justice leaders, including those working in the Pittsburgh area, who are exploring how chemical manufacturing and green chemistry solutions impact the lived experiences of people living near those facilities and how the green chemistry community can improve those impacts through education, policies, organizing, research, and technology.