Teaching and Learning About Sustainability

One of the great challenges of the 21st century is that of sustainability. This book aims to provide examples of sustainability in a wide variety of chemical contexts, in hope of laying the groundwork for cross-divisional work that might be possible in the future to address the important issue of sustainability. In doing so, the editors look at both the questions chemistry is asking right now related to sustainability as well as the questions chemistry SHOULD be asking about sustainability.

The world is facing interrelated global challenges of energy, food, water, and human health. Solving these daunting challenges will require global systems thinking and proactive local action. No ONE company, academic institution, non-profit or government agency can accomplish this task alone, but it starts with education at all levels. This book addresses the need for better chemical education on the subject of sustainability.

Irv Levy is Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Gordon College in Wenham, MA, where he has served on the faculty since 1985. His professional interests in chemistry are primarily related to the development of educational resources for green chemistry. Current projects involve the creation of green organic chemistry laboratory experiments, the introduction of toxicology into the chemistry curriculum, and community outreach via green chemistry.

Cathy Middlecamp is a professor in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her scholarship lies at the intersection of science, people, and the planet. Sustainability education, especially in the context of using the campus as a living-learning laboratory, is the focal point of her graduate student team. She was the editor-in-chief for the 7th and 8th editions of Chemistry in Context, a 25-year national curriculum project of the American Chemical Society that engages undergraduates in learning chemistry in the context of real-world issues.