Sunday September 25th, 2022 was an important day for our future! Besides being the anniversary of the UN SDGs, this was also the date to take actions towards a more sustainable future through a Global Conversation on Sustainability (GCS)! This joint project, led by the IYCN and IUPAC, is a fundamental step to take action on the UN SDGs towards addressing societal, economic and environmental challenges. In fact, individuals, institutions and organizations from all around the globe organized their own events and contributed to this global effort (https://www.gcs-day.org/events.html)! We could not miss the chance to join with our own GCS!
Entitled ‘Sustainability for a Bright Future: A Global Conversation for Achieving the SDGs’, the GCS organized by the IYCN and IUPAC was held online at 10 AM (ET) on September 25th. Participants from all over the world had the chance to hear from, address questions, and be inspired by Prof. Javier García Martínez (President of IUPAC), Dr. Amy Cannon (Co-Founder and Executive Director at Beyond Benign), Anna Becker (Specialist Policy and Communications at the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre - ISC3), and Jeffrey Whitford (Head of Sustainability, Social Business Innovation and Life Science Branding at MilliporeSigma) on initiatives, activities and actions towards pursuing sustainable solutions for a sustainable future globally.
The speakers not only discussed the urgent need for addressing the UN SDGs by 2030, but also highlighted the vital importance of education, taking effective actions, and thinking sustainably at the molecular level for a systemic change. In this context, the role of Green Chemistry education was thoroughly discussed as a fundamental piece towards the path of sustainable development. Prof. Javier García Martinez showed the amazing work of IUPAC in targeting and tackling the UN SDGs, as well as different opportunities for young scientists to be connected and engaged. Dr. Amy Cannon talked about Beyond Benign, which works in preparing our future workforce to think sustainably through the insertion of Green Chemistry in the chemistry curriculum. Anna Becker talked about the different initiatives by ISC3 in enabling the transformation towards sustainable chemistry, including the 2nd Global Sustainable Chemistry Week, happening in 2023. Jeffrey Whitford displayed the initiatives of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and, in particular MilliporeSigma (the life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operating in the US and Canada) on sustainability, including the DOZN 2.0, a tool for measuring how 'greener' a process actually is. These metrics are essential in the field of Green Chemistry and in the development of more sustainable processes and products. The talks were followed by a fruitful panel discussion, in which Green Chemistry resources were shared, and the role of young researchers for addressing the UN SDGs was amplified.
Image. After their talks, Prof. Javier García Martínez, Dr. Amy Cannon, Anna Becker and Jeffrey Whitford engaged in a fruitful panel discussion moderated by Dr. Juliana Vidal and Dr. João Borges (Task Group of the IYCN/IUPAC Joint Project Global Conversation on Sustainability).
If you haven't had the chance to participate in the discussion, you can freely access the recording of the event here.
Moreover, if you would like to engage with us, please do not hesitate to contact us at contact@gcs-day.org.
Kind regards,
Juliana Vidal and João Borges
On behalf of the Task Group of the IYCN/IUPAC Joint Project Global Conversation on Sustainability
