GREEN CHEMISTRY FACILITATOR TEAM FORMED IN UKRAINE
The Green Chemistry Train-the-Facilitators Workshops of the Global Green Chemistry Innovation and Networking Program (GreenChem) is over!
The team of future facilitators was almost unchanged for 5 days (6,7,8,13-14, 2024) – more than 40 participants. They showed great interest and actively shared their experiences and thoughts on sustainable development and Green Chemistry.
The trainers of the first training day were Lars Ratjen and Hanno Erythropel, researchers at the Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering at Yale University (USA). Lars Ratjen is also the program manager of the GreenChem project. During the first training day, participants focused on sustainable development, discussing planetary boundaries, socio-economic trends, the UN SDGs, and learning to distinguish between true sustainability and greenwashing. Speakers also explained how modern chemistry can become green and highlighted the need for change in the industry.
On the second day, Audrey Moorse, Professor of Sustainable Chemistry at McGill University, gave a fascinating presentation on the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and the importance of systems thinking. In particular, she discussed the role of catalysis, and the importance of choosing safe solvents and using renewable energy sources, and reviewed key green chemistry metrics such as PMI/RMI, E-Factor, and F-Factor. Lars Ratjen also shared real-life examples of green chemistry applications in business.
During the practical part of the training on 8 August (the third training), participants in each of the 5 groups independently selected an industrial sector and proposed options for applying green chemistry principles in it. Interesting ideas were presented for the packaging, agrochemical, cable products, and leather industries.
On 13 August (day 4 of the training), participants were reminded of the power of nature as a source of innovation. Participants learned how biomimicry can be a driving force for change. They also reviewed the regulations and international conventions that are helping to implement Green Chemistry around the world. The speaker, Peter Licence, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, provided very interesting and informative presentations. On the same day, a training block was scheduled where Ukrainian speakers shared their experiences on the implementation of Green Chemistry in Ukraine. They were: Valeriia Kuzmenko (founder of Eco Corn), Tetiana Koroid (representative of DeLaMark ‘Living Eco – Living Clean’), and Olga Paraska (professor at Khmelnytsky National University). They are pioneers in the field, contributing to the development of green and sustainable chemistry in Ukraine. The stories of these women are inspiring and confirm that the future belongs to green technologies.
On the last (fifth) day, the trainer was Matt S. Moroney, Head of Sustainable Finance at Metabolic and co-founder of Raise Green. He addressed important issues related to sustainable business and the role of green chemistry in it, as well as practical steps to turn an idea into a successful business. Special attention was given to technical assistance tools, methods of raising capital, and an overview of the climate technology investment market. Participants also heard examples of companies that are successfully applying green chemistry principles in their operations.
Summing up the five days of training, we can confidently say that they were intense, productive, and inspiring sessions that significantly enhanced the participants’ knowledge and skills in the field of green chemistry. The informative presentations allowed us to dive deep into the topic of green chemistry, learn about the latest tools and approaches to create sustainable business models and gain practical knowledge from leading industry experts.
We thank the trainers and all participants for their active participation and interesting dialogue.
Let’s move on to new knowledge and ideas!
The workshops took place on 06-08 and 13-14 August 2024.
Organizers
The trainings were organized by the RECP Centre in Ukraine in collaboration with the Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering at Yale University under GEF-funded UNIDO project “The Global GreenChem Innovation and Network Programme”.