About BCGC

The Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry (BCGC) is building a novel academic program to advance green chemistry through interdisciplinary scholarship. It consists of faculty, researchers, and students in the College of Chemistry, School of Public Health, College of Engineering, College of Natural Resources, the Berkeley School of Law, and the Haas School of Business.

Goals
The Center’s interdisciplinary approach stems from the recognition that successful development and adoption by society of benign chemicals and chemical processes will depend on the integration of innovative chemistry and engineering with an understanding of the health and ecosystem effects of synthetic chemicals and the ways in which policy and law guide industrial innovation and change. The goals of the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry are three-fold:

  • Education: To integrate the chemical sciences, environmental health sciences, and the study of public and private governance into a cohesive educational program in green chemistry.
  • Research: To develop novel chemical processes and materials, informed by the principles of green chemistry and the priorities of the environmental health sciences; to investigate new approaches to anticipatory toxicity testing, exposure analysis, and alternatives assessment to aid in the prioritization of chemical hazards and the identification of safer alternatives.
  • Engagement: To create a self-sustaining interdisciplinary program that contributes directly to California, US and global efforts to advance green chemistry, and to provide rigorous, academic support to chemicals policy decision-makers. As a collaboration of investigators, the Center is developing the requisite science, technical and legal tools, and education necessary to advance the sustainability of society’s material basis through green chemistry.