Teaching green chemistry within the K–12 classroom
has a
positive impact on attitudes and perceptions of chemistry in society
for future scientists and professionals, resulting in safer, less
hazardous chemistry experiments and demonstrations. The state of New
York has taken advantage of the benefits that green chemistry provide
in the classroom and is a leader in professional development for high
school teachers throughout the state. Between 2011 and 2016, Beyond
Benign and Siena College implemented 14 workshops across the state
as part of New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation
goal of reducing hazardous chemicals in schools. At these workshops,
224 teachers were introduced to green chemistry principles and practices
and provided resources for replacing traditional laboratory experiments
with alternatives that used safer materials. Two professional development
models were implemented, a one-day introductory workshop and a three-day
train-the-trainer style in-depth workshop, using collaborative, hands-on,
intensive, and peer-learning techniques. In response to a 2021 follow-up
survey, participants shared that they continue to use skills from
the professional development they received and reported sharing about
green chemistry with peers, parents, and administrators. The long-term
engagement of the participants indicates that successful models were
implemented to provide a path to develop teacher leaders. Professional
development models are presented herein for sharing best practices
and approaches for training high school teachers on green chemistry,
providing numerous benefits to both teachers and students in high
school classrooms.