Environmental Improvement

The Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) continues work to enhance ACS sustainability activities. As part of our mission to educate the next generation of chemists and to ensure that they are aware of the difficult challenges of sustainability, CEI honored the second class of educators for outstanding contributions to sustainability education. The committee supported two students to attend the COP16 climate-change meeting in Cancun last year and is preparing to support attendance of a larger group at the COP17 meeting in Durban, South Africa, later this year.

Also consistent with CEI’s mission, the committee continues to develop the ACS sustainability Web presence. A beta site is now available, and the full website will officially launch in Denver at the fall ACS national meeting. Information is classified into three main areas: general content about sustainability, ways in which ACS is engaged in sustainability, and opportunities for members to become involved in sustainability efforts. The site should become a repository for information on the society’s involvement with the sustainability effort, and provide a critical means for members and nonmembers to learn more about how they can help create a sustainable future.

CEI is pleased to see greater attention placed on sustainability challenges for both the meetings and for ACS governance, and urges members and governance leaders to seek new opportunities to help the society demonstrate its commitment to sustainability.