Green Chemistry: Missing Elements, Talk by John C. Warner *88

Imagine a world where all segments of society demanded environmentally benign climate neutral products! Imagine if all consumers, all retailers and all manufacturers insisted on buying and selling only non-toxic truly sustainable materials! The unfortunate reality is that, even if this situation were to occur, our knowledge of materials science and chemistry would allow us to provide only a small fraction of the necessary products and materials that our economy is based upon.

Unfortunately, the way we learn and teach chemistry and materials science in academia is for the most part void of any information regarding mechanisms of toxicity and environmental harm. Green Chemistry is a science that seeks to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous materials at the design stage of a materials process. It has been demonstrated that materials and products CAN be designed with negligible impact on human health and the environment while still being economically competitive and successful in the marketplace.

This presentation will describe the history and background of Green Chemistry and discuss the opportunities for the next generation of materials designers to create a safer and more sustainable future.

Guest Speaker: John C. Warner (*88, CHM), Chemistry Inventor and co-founder of the field of Green Chemistry. 

This keynote talk is a part of the GradFUTURES Sustainability learning cohort in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability, and is co-sponsored by the Department of Chemistry.

This event is also a part of the 2025 GradFUTURES Forum hosted by the Princeton University Graduate School. The forum is a weeklong professional development conference for graduate students offering opportunities for meaningful professional growth and exploration of futures within and beyond the academy. With many inspiring keynote speakers, interactive workshops, career panels, and networking receptions, the 2025 GradFUTURES Forum is open to the broader graduate community at Princeton and beyond.

Sponsorship of an event does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.

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