How Green Chemistry Education Can Empower Chemistry Students to Be Promoters of Sustainable Substance-Handling Practices in Their Communities
Лилиана Маммино
Abstract
Pursuing sustainability entails a huge number of components. Some of them are related to everyday practices, i.e., to the behaviors of individual persons. The handling of substances and materials is one of the major aspects having a great impact on people’s health and the environment and, thus, on sustainability. It becomes crucial that citizens in all communities acquire adequate awareness about behavior patterns that enhance safety, protect health, and maximize pollution prevention. Human beings tend to adopt certain behavior patterns more willingly if they are convinced of their importance than if they are simply instructed to implement them. Students taking chemistry courses and getting acquainted with green chemistry are in an ideal position to design the most suitable ways to disseminate knowledge about the appropriate uses and final disposal of substances and materials to their communities. The paper considers selected classes of substances and materials used in everyday life and requiring shifts to more sustainable uses and disposal, analyzes the main messages that need to be conveyed, and proposes explorations of chemistry students’ active engagement as a valuable resource to promote sustainability in a convincing and considerate way.