Partnership Advances Sustainable Science and Green Chemistry Education K-20
to Build a 21st Century Skilled WorkforceCapable of Green Technological Innovation
Wilmington, MA—Beyond Benign, a national nonprofit, established in 2007 to equip educators, scientists, and citizens with the tools to teach and practice green chemistry to achieve a sustainable society, just announced a strategic partnership with Flinn Scientific.
Beyond Benign and Flinn Scientific will co-develop products for use in high school chemistry and introductory college chemistry courses that provide science educators with green chemistry learning solutions.
Known as the science of creating safe, energy efficient and less toxic processes and products, green chemistry supports an important sustainability narrative that society may incorporate into action to benefit human health and the environment. With the global market for green chemistry projected in a Pike Research study to grow from 11 billion in 2015 to nearly 100 billion by 2020, there is a pressing need to advance this work as quickly as possible.
“Flinn Scientific is a well-respected and service driven company with a deep history in science education. Through this partnership, we anticipate bringing much needed green chemistry learning resources to an expansive audience of science educators that we may not otherwise reach. This is important because our educational pipelines are mostly void of sustainable science curriculum applied to chemistry and materials science. Green chemistry provides the opportunity to green the student pipeline from K through 20, giving students a grounding in the principles of and applications of chemistry for solving real-world problems. We couldn’t be happier about the collaboration.” said Amy Cannon, Executive Director Beyond Benign.
“Flinn is also extremely excited about our partnership with Beyond Benign. They are experts in the fields of green chemistry and green chemistry education. We look forward to working with Beyond Benign to provide high quality, engaging lab activities to support these growing areas of science education.” said Mike Lavelle, Chief Executive Officer, Flinn Scientific.
The first four labs developed by Beyond Benign and Flinn include:
- Design and Function-Blackberry Solar Cell: Use fruit to build a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) and measure its electrical characteristics. This experiment, developed will bring chemistry from the abstract into students' everyday world. Concepts: solar cells, alternative energy, electrochemistry and nanotechnology.
- Ash Water Titration: Introduce acid-base titrations in a very unique way. This green chemistry version of a strong acid-strong base titration uses wood ash, a renewable source of base, instead of NaOH. Concepts: acids and bases, titration, catalysis, sustainability and indicators.
- Road Deicers: Learn a quick way to assess the relative toxicities of chemicals commonly found in road deicers. This lab has students examine the effects of aqueous solutions of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride and calcium chloride. Concepts: serial dilution, assays, ecotoxicity, environmental science.
- Making a Household Surface Cleaner: Convert a polylactic acid plastic cup into a household surface cleaner with chemistry while learning about Green Chemistry and polymer chemistry! Concepts: polymers, renewable resources, acids and bases and hydrolysis.
More information at Flinn Scientific: https://goo.gl/qct3vw(link is external)
Teacher observations of green chemistry in their classrooms
“The students thought it was so cool that they could use blackberries to make a solar cell. I know that they will look for things in their lives to reduce impact on Earth’s environment.” Connie, Middle School Teacher.
“The students were impressed with the ability to rearrange the atoms into something completely different. It showed a practical application of chemistry, and how the knowledge of chemistry might lead to new technologies.” Laurie, High School Chemistry Teacher.
About Beyond Benign
Co-founded by Dr. John Warner and Dr. Amy Cannon in 2007 as a 501c3 nonprofit, Beyond Benign develops and disseminates educational content that teaches green chemistry innovation and empower educators and students to learn how chemistry is central to innovating sustainable solutions. Beyond Benign’s programs support an educational continuum from K-12 to higher education to industry. The organization works directly with educators and a network of strategic partners focused on science education, sustainability, innovation and initiatives supporting human and environmental health.
About Flinn Scientific
Flinn Scientific supports science educators in opening young minds to the challenges and joys of scientific discovery. Flinn understands that science is a primary source of America’s unparalleled productivity, quality of life, and technological leadership. Through their unsurpassed customer service, they provide the science community with the very best education supplies, safety information, instructional materials and programs to facilitate their vital work. Flinn’s respect for and loyalty to the science community is central to everything they do and their relationship with them is always their first priority.