Thursday Keynote to Feature Green Chemistry
Dr. Lauren Heine, Executive Director of Northwest Green Chemistry, will be the opening keynote on Thursday, November 16th.
With more than 80,000 chemicals being used daily in today’s environment, it’s no wonder that some end up posing human health and ecological risks causing either their eventual ban, environmental cleanup, or stringent standards for proper use, storage and disposal.
For scientists like Lauren Heine, green chemistry looks at the possibility of designing chemicals to be inherently safer from the beginning. One way to think about this, says Heine, is to talk about “chemical choosers and chemical makers.”
Choosers are those both developing and purchasing products in classic supply/demand function. Choosers select chemicals for use in products, generally selecting the lowest cost option that meets regulatory standards. But how does that equation change when considering the full life cycle cost of a product, or potential needs to address long term human health or ecological effects? Green chemistry scientists offer the ability to assess this larger framework, helping steer choosers to safer alternatives.
And as chemical choosers look and demand more benign options, green chemistry scientists are at the forefront of designing new options. Heine will share examples of successful green chemistry innovation, including finding safer alternatives such as copper-free boat paint products. Locally, for instance, imagine if green chemistry removed importation of inadvertent PCBs in dyes, inks, caulks and other products that are finding their way into the waste stream and Spokane River?
Heine’s journey to green chemistry dates to receiving her PhD in environmental engineering from Duke University. Her background, however, also includes conflict mediation and technical facilitation between industry, government and non-government organizations concerned with chemicals in the environment.
Her experiences came together with a green chemistry fellowship from AAAS (the American Association of the Advancement of Science). Here, she learned from Paul Anastas, considered by many to be the father of green chemistry. The rest, as they say, is history.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Lauren Heine at this year’s conference.