Green Chemistry Blog

The 10th International Conference on Renewable Resources and Biorefineries is taking place on June 4-6, 2014 in Valladoid, Spain. A range of delegates from university, industry, governmental and non-governmental organizations and venture capital providers will present their views on industrial biotechnology, sustainable (green) chemistry and agricultural policy related to the use of renewable raw materials for non-food applications and energy supply.

The conference further aims to provide an overview of the scientific, technical, economic, environmental and social issues of renewable resources and biorefineries to give an impetus to the biobased economy and to present new developments in this area. The conference will provide a forum for leading political, corporate, academic and financial people to discuss recent developments and set up collaborations.

The three day international conference will consist of plenary lectures and oral presentations by international experts, a poster session and an exhibition. Companies and research organizations are also offered the opportunity to organize a satellite symposium. Around 400 international participants are expected from over 30 countries.

A great line-up of speakers has been confirmed, with the following as just a small selection:

• Prof. Richard Wool, University of Delaware, USA
• Prof. Karen Wilson, European Bioenergy Research Institute
• Prof. Eric Beckmann, University of Pittsburgh, USA
• Prof. Yusuf Christi, Massey University, New Zealand

There’s still time to sign up with pre-registration closing on June 1, 2014.

Visit the website for more information and to register: www.rrbconference.com/rrb-10-welcome

The 2014 Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference – Innovating for Success in the Great Lakes Region – is taking place on April 1-2, 2014 in Cleveland, OH and there’s still time to register. This two-day conference will bring together businesses, researchers, state environmental agencies and NGOs to hear about how Green Chemistry and sustainable chemistry initiatives in the Great Lakes are driving innovations all along the supply chain. Keynote speakers include some of the most prominent names in the field of Green Chemistry. Our morning keynote  John Warner is the co-author of the landmark publication Green Chemistry, Theory and Practice, and is currently the president and chief technology officer at Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. He will talk about “Mechanisms from Nature in Materials Design”. Julie Zimmerman, our luncheon keynote, is the Associate Director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University, will speak about “Green Engineering:  Fundamentals, Sustainability, and Design”, and our final keynote on Tuesday morning will be Dennis McGavis, Global Director of EHS Sustainability at Goodyear Rubber & Tire Co. Dennis will be presenting on “Two big challenges for green chemistry innovation – from an industry perspective”.

The conference will also include several dynamic panels and breakout sessions with opportunities to hear from companies on the cutting edge of innovation in the region, as well as from academic institutions such as the University of Toledo who has just opened their new School of Green Chemistry and Engineering. Panels will address the Imperative for Green Chemistry in the Great Lakes, How Policy Drives Green Chemistry Innovation,: The Business Perspective, Green Chemistry Innovations in Business, and Getting Started on Alternatives Assessments, followed by breakout sessions where participants will have the opportunity to engage in more in-depth discussion on issues raised with the panel sessions.

On April 1, the first night of the conference, the Great Lakes Green Chemistry Network, one of the conference sponsors, will host a dinner at the Mallorca Restaurant in Cleveland in honor of John Warner, to which all conference registrants are invited to make reservations.

More information and registration for the conference can be found at www.glrppr.org/conference/registration

Two additional events will also be available as part of the conference. On March 31, the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable will hold a half day meeting. Separate registration is required and more information is available from at Laura Barnes at l-barnes@illinois.edu. Immediately following the conference, on Thursday, April 3, there will be a one-day GreenScreen™ for Safer Chemicals Training. This is a training on the hazard assessment tool,  GreenScreen™  for Safer Chemicals, developed by Clean Production Action for identifying chemicals of concern and selecting safer alternatives. Separate registration is required, and more information is available by contacting greenscreen@cleanproduction.org