Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community
The ACS Green Chemistry Institute and Beyond Benign have partnered together to launch the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC). Established in 2023, GCTLC is a new online community space for sharing green chemistry resources where users can learn, collaborate, network and receive mentorship. This much-needed central online hub allows green chemistry community members (including K-12 and Higher Education teachers and educators, students, and industry stakeholders) to interact, connect and learn from each other.
Why a Green Chemistry Education Community is Needed
For more than 20 years, educators from a wide variety of institutions, from K-12 to higher education universities and colleges, have been developing, collaborating and sharing green chemistry education resources organically. This community of practice grows yearly, with many institutions now engaging in some form of green chemistry activity.
However, many challenges continue to hinder the adoption of green chemistry in educational settings. Common challenges include lack of time, lack of resources, a congested curriculum, faculty and department buy-in, misconceptions and an overall lack of support. To overcome these challenges, Beyond Benign and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute will leverage networks and expertise to move our Community of Practice towards a Community of Transformation. Communities of Transformation have a demonstrated ability to empower systemic change in STEM fields through a multi-pronged approach utilizing both in-person and online support.
GCTLC will provide the online hub needed to support the adoption of green chemistry and hasten the transformation of chemistry education. We envision a fully-supported site that houses educational resources and provides an interactive global networking and collaboration platform. On the GCTLC platform, community members will be able to readily find vetted resources for teaching core chemistry concepts with a green chemistry lens, discuss approaches with like-minded colleagues, and hear a diversity of ideas needed to advance chemistry education to a place where students are prepared to take sustainable action.
Read about the GCTLC on the Nexus blog
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