2008 Rachel Carson Legacy Conference

Green Chemistry: Solutions for a Healthy Economy

Saturday, September 20, 2008
@Duquesne University, Pittsburgh PA

Environment and Health Connections - The Green Chemistry Solution • Innovations in Products and Processes • Design for Non-toxic Results • Business Strategies - Risk, Investment and Insurance

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The Speakers
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Paul Anastas, Ph.D., Professor in the Practice of Green Chemistry, Yale University
Terry Collins, Ph.D., Thomas Lord Professor of Green Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University
Bruce Lanphear, M.D., MPH, Professor of Health Sciences and of Pediatrics at Simon Fraser University and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
Charles Dougherty, Ph.D., President, Duquesne University
James Trainham, Vice President Science & Technology,  PPG Industries, Inc.
Randall S. Dearth, President and CEO, Lanxess Corporation
Timothy Hall, CEO, GreenOx Catalysts, Inc.
Jonell Kerkhoff, Division Manager, Alcoa
Berkley W. Cue, Jr., Ph.D., Green Pharmaceutical Consultant
Kaj Johnson, Method Home
Eric Beckman, Cohera Medical
Ruth Etzel, M.D., Ph.D., George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Service
Richard Liroff, Executive Director, Investor Environmental Health Network
William T. Cagney, Business Manager, Local 95, International Union of Operating Engineers
Byron Falchetti, President, Highmark Standard Properties
Margaret Zak, President, Environmental Logic, Inc

The Moderators

Audrey Russo, President, Pittsburgh Technology Council
David Seybert, Ph.D., Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Duquesne University
Terry Collins, Ph.D., Thomas Lord Professor of Green Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University

The Objectives

Economic development:  The intellectual capital represented by the institutions of higher learning and the industrial centers of research and development and innovation in Pittsburgh can drive a vigorous economic engine.  This process offers the potential for long term economic benefits from working across disciplines to conquer significant, institutionally entrenched problems.

Informed consumers:  Consumers armed with information when offered healthier options, within a degree of price elasticity, will make better choices.  One aspect of the solution is to increase consumer awareness:  “Read the Labels… and know what you are looking for!” is a campaign of customer awareness that will help people understand the connections between their own consumption and purchase choices and their exposure to harmful chemicals.

Better regulatory tools:  The European Union, Australia, Japan and Canada have adopted a regulatory approach based on a precautionary principle.  This approach contrasts sharply in origin and execution from the toxicology based approach adopted earlier by the US environmental Protection Agency.  We examine the green chemistry business strategies in light of differing regulatory structures in global markets.

A healthy future: The dissemination of compounds that do not readily degrade to innocuous metabolites has changed the composition of the ambient water, air and soil and their bioaccumulation is having profound effects on human health and the environment.  If it is the case that the complex brew of synthetic compounds accumulated in the environment indeed caused a general rise in the incidence of cancers, allergies, asthma, autism and other conditions, it is also the case that human ingenuity and effort can displace the harmful components, and achieve the objective of developing materials without the unintended harmful consequences.  It requires a focus on the sources of the problem, not as a means of persecution and retribution, but as a source of inspiration to innovation and achievement.

Workshops
  • Student Sustainability Initiative
  • Teaching Green Chemistry
  • Training Green Chemists: Curriculum Proposal
  • Institutional Barriers to Green Chemistry in the Mainstream 
  • Health Impact of Chemicals in the Environment
  • Doing Business under the European R.E.A.C.H. Standards
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The Partners

The Rachel Carson Legacy Conference series is a project initiated by the Rachel Carson Homestead Association.  This broad coalition crosses industry, academic and environmental organization interests.  The conference is the result of a collaboration among several universities and business organizations:
•    Duquesne University
      - Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
      - Center for Environmental Research and Education
•    Carnegie Mellon University
•    Chatham University
•    The University of Pittsburgh
     - Cancer Institute Center for Environmental Oncology
     - Department of Geology and Planetary Science Environmental Studies Program
•    La Roche College
•    Robert Morris University
•    Carlow University
•    The Pittsburgh Technology Council
•    Sustainable Pittsburgh

Media Sponsorship
        

Centennial Celebration
Buy Rachel Carson's books, DVDs and signature logo gifts and help support Rachel Carson's environmental ethics. Many eco-friendly items featured, including organic, fair-trade Rachel Carson Coffee.
 
Contributions
Support Rachel Carson's legacy by making a contribution. Individual and Corporate giving programs are available.  Also donate on-line.
 
Make a Commitment
Learn more about Rachel Carson’s environmental ethic and environmental health. Take action now to reduce your exposure to chemical toxins and help heal the planet.
Photos of Rachel Carson courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and the Lear/Carson Collection, Connecticut College