Kermit the Frog once sang, “It’s not that easy being green,” but if the monochromatic Muppet studied chemistry at Siena College, he’d be singing a different tune.
Siena’s chemistry professors are committed to creating lab experiments that are as green as Kermit himself. “They’re one of the few universities in New York State that actually does green chemistry at the college level,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Program Specialist Deborah Knight.
During the College’s second Green Chemistry Summer Institute, Siena professors showed high school and middle school teachers how to design experiments that use household products like baking soda and hydrogen peroxide instead of expensive and potentially hazardous lab chemicals.
“They’re all really excited about making sure their students learn, and learn in a safe environment,” said Lucas Tucker, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry. “That’s great for New York State and its chemistry students.”
During the free, three-day institute, which is a Department of Environmental Conservation initiative funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, more than a dozen educators, mainly from New York’s Capital Region, learned safe, environmentally–friendly experiments that they can implement in their curricula.
Rachel Courtney ’10 is a second-year teacher who also participated in the Summer Institute last year. The Siena graduate used primarily green chemistry labs during the past school year and said her students preferred them because they recognized the products being used during the experiments.
“They benefitted from it chemistry-wise too because they could understand what was going on,” said Courtney. “We don’t have to use hazardous materials. You can use all household products.”
Guilderland High School chemistry teacher Annette Sebuyira sees green chemistry as the wave of the future. This is also her second year participating in the Green Chemistry Summer Institute. Sebuyira said she enjoys working with other teachers to develop and test new experiments.
Last year, she developed three environmentally-friendly labs.
“I was able to see that the lab would run the same way,” Sebuyira said. “The students obtained the same skills that they’re required to receive.”
The Green Chemistry Summer Institute is a partnership between Siena, the DEC and the New York State Education Department, so the experiments are consistent with the principles in the New York State Chemistry Core Curriculum.
Along with giving educators hands-on experience and confidence teaching the material, the workshop shows them that green chemistry is more cost-effective than using the traditional, toxic chemicals they’re accustomed to.
“It saves money, it’s good for the environment, there’s less hazardous waste being generated and there is less liability,” said Knight.
Still, the biggest benefit of green chemistry is that it is safer for everyone and everything, including the world’s most famous singing frog.
