In Milestone, Top Chemistry Award Goes to Green Pioneer

A top honor in the chemistry field has gone for the first time to a green chemist. Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) America has awarded its Perkin Medal to one of the founders of green chemistry, John Warner, Ph.D. The medal acknowledges outstanding contributions to the field of industrial chemistry that have improved quality of life.

Warner co-authored the 2000 book Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice with Paul Anastas, Ph.D, for which the two developed twelve principles of green chemistry. The principles emphasize waste prevention, avoidance of human and environmental toxicity, use of renewable feedstocks, reductions in energy use for manufacturing, and engineering for innocuous degradation. Warner founded the first doctoral program in green chemistry during his tenure at the University of Massachusetts–Boston.

He also co-founded the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry in 2007, a company that partners with manufacturers to improve their processes; the institute specializes in non-animal toxicology testing, solvent-free coating production, and avoidance of hazardous reagents. He also co-founded the nonprofit organization Beyond Benign with his wife, Amy Cannon, Ph.D., to provide green chemistry curriculum to K–12 teachers.

For more information:

SCI America

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