Practical ways to embed green chemistry into a packed curriculum, part 2

With the impact of chemicals on the planet and on human health becoming clearer, chemistry educators must equip students to carry out their work with human well-being and environmental sustainability in mind. 

Green chemistry promotes the design of chemical processes and products that minimise hazardous substances and prevents pollution and waste. Embedding it into curricula should not only be about adding more content, nor does it require a complete overhaul of curricula. A range of targeted interventions can have a lasting impact on how students think as chemists.

If you missed part one in this series, read about how you might make a start within your own curriculum with one-off lecture-workshops that introduce core concepts, and reflective exercises requiring minimum staff input to build understanding. This resource suggests more substantial interventions.

Frame skills development around sustainability challenges

Where specific chemistry topic or technique learning is not the aim, green chemistry can provide a strong context for developing transferable skills such as teamwork, communication and problem solving, and even experimental design skills. Existing projects can often be reframed with a sustainability context, preventing the need for substantial curriculum redesign. 

We recently refocused a chemistry of the elements group presentation assignment by asking students to assess sustainability for an element group. We also run a group lab project, in which students engage in self-directed open research that uses sustainability as the context, most recently water pollution. Students’ final presentations show independent consideration of a range of relevant concepts, including:

• biodegradability
• waste as a resource
• use of less hazardous materials
• biobased renewable feedstock
• the measuring and removal of pollution 
• societal benefits. 

Sustainability-focused tasks that have real-world relevance can enhance engagement while reinforcing or extending application of disciplinary knowledge.

Introduce specialist modules, but define ‘core’ principles first

For curricula with more flexibility, dedicated modules or courses in green, sustainable or environmental chemistry can provide more depth. However, before taking this path, define what all chemistry students should know as “core” knowledge, and what can be offered as optional or advanced material. 

Examples of what we consider core knowledge include mass-based green metrics such as atom economy, process mass intensity or e-factor and monitoring energy consumption of chemical transformations. These lead into teaching how to make synthetic reactions greener, which can be supported by tools such as solvent selection guides. 

All students should be able to make qualitative assessments using the principles of green chemistry and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Beyond the first-year lecture-workshop (mentioned in the first part of this series) we run a session for second-year students on applying the core knowledge to teaching lab practices such as waste disposal. This teaches students how good lab practice supports sustainability. 

We are currently considering whether life cycle assessment (LCA), which is taught as an optional lecture and workshop, should be part of our core curriculum. While LCA is typically applied to commercial-scale chemical processes, the principles and workflow can be applied to laboratory reactions or even conceptual design. 

Drawing on existing research expertise within your institution can help shape content and provide cutting-edge and authentic examples and context. For undergraduates, we offer a year three elective course, Green and Environmental Chemistry, and a master’s-level option, Sustainable Chemistry. 

With climate change posing a significant threat, we place emphasis on topics associated with this challenge, such as:

• the carbon cycle
• the contribution of chemical manufacturing to climate change
• fossil and renewable carbon and hydrogen feedstocks
• carbon dioxide capture and utilisation and storage
• atmospheric chemistry (greenhouse gases but also air pollution and chemistry of the ozone layer). 

We also cover topics related to environmental impacts beyond climate change, such as aquatoxicity and environmental persistence, using examples of pharmaceuticals, (micro)plastics and poly- and perfluorinated substances (PFAS), and how they can be monitored using wastewater epidemiology. 

We also include a brief history and the current provisions, challenges and gaps in chemical regulation and link them to the risk assessments carried out for laboratory teaching using a workshop. We lecture on sustainable laboratory practice for both synthetic and analytical chemistry; for the latter, we introduce the AGREEprep metric, used for evaluating the environmental impact of sample preparation and analysis procedures, which are also practised within a workshop. 

We have found the concept of the planetary boundaries useful to show the extent to which humanity’s activities are now shaping the geological and biological flows on the planet, and endangering the stable conditions in which civilisation emerged. We also highlight diversity and inclusion in the chemical sciences as a driver of more sustainable decision-making, as considering a variety of views and experiences is known to prevent group thinking and overlooking or dismissing substantial risks and encourages finding solutions that work for wider sections of society (socially and geographically).

Another useful case study is the emergence of PFAS. The lecture analyses the timeline and actions of organisations and individuals involved in their discovery and the unintentional and intentional cover-up of information relating to chemical pollution. It highlights the need for timely testing, regulation and monitoring. We also discuss ethical decision-making, the limitations of individual responsibility and the effect of delayed action in reporting unintended consequences to the regulator and the public. 

• Practical ways to embed green chemistry into a packed curriculum, part 1
• The long game: gamifying sustainability education
• Spotlight collection: a greener future for higher education

In the advanced courses, students are assessed through an exam question and essay. For the latter, they are required to analyse a recent academic publication that makes a green chemistry claim using green metrics, green principles, SDGs and the wider literature. 

We are considering introducing a group presentation assessment that focuses on discussing ethical dilemmas, for example, the banning of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), an environmentally persistent insecticide that is also one of the most effective compounds for controlling malaria, or the benefits and drawbacks of plastic use.

Drawing on expertise beyond your institution can be valuable, too. We have visiting lecturers who teach specialist topics and share an industry perspective. The university alumni network is a good place to look for speakers with valuable insights to share with students.

Work with students and staff to shape the curriculum

We collect survey feedback on students’ perceptions of teaching and their learning aspirations, and recently ran a sustainability-focused study. Staff surveys can also provide valuable insights – understanding your local context is useful. We found a considerable (and useful) degree of overlap between how staff and students would like sustainability and green chemistry to be embedded into our curriculum.

Where practical, consider involving students as partners in the co-creation of teaching materials and activities. Our undergraduate student partners have researched and produced content, developed activities and discussed and refined their proposals with module staff. Students gave their opinions on what would be engaging and accessible to their peers, and the student-led approach highlighted interest in such content.

We have also implemented a sustainable chemistry teaching development focus group where interested staff can engage with sustainable chemistry teaching and drive curriculum innovation. 

Co-creating the curriculum, including with students, can increase relevance and engagement, share development efforts and foster a shared sense of ownership of sustainability goals. 

Integration with neighbouring disciplines

For those considering more ambitious initiatives, cross-disciplinary projects can be powerful. For our master’s-level poster project, our students collaborated with social and environmental science students on an energy poster project. 

The teaching of sustainable process development, including techno-economic assessment, can be useful for courses focused on industrial chemistry. However, projects should complement, not replace, core chemical understanding. 

Small, intentional curriculum changes can help students connect chemistry with health, environmental and social impact and sustainable development. By embedding green chemistry into curricula, we better prepare graduates to design the safer, more sustainable chemical processes and products that society needs.

Agnieszka Brandt-Talbot is an associate professor in sustainable materials chemistry. Euan D. Doidge is a principal teaching fellow and co-director of the Centre for Chemistry Education. Rebecca L. Jones is a teaching fellow and theme lead on sustainability. Laura Patel is a principal teaching fellow and theme lead on enhancing laboratory teaching. All work at Imperial College London.

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