FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 17, 2010

Press Conference Schedule

Attend in Person in Washington, D.C., or Access Live Video Online

14th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference
American Chemical Society (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute®
Innovation & Application
June 21-23, 2010
Capital Hilton
Washington, D.C.
www.GCandE.org

See Instructions, below, for joining live briefings from remote locations at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive

Monday, June 21
3:50 p.m., Eastern Time
Recycled citrus – a sustainable means for preserving key health compounds
Randall G. Cameron, Ph.D.,
USDA Agricultural Research Service Center

Citrus peels are rich in pectin, a beneficial dietary fiber used to produce foams, jellies, and other products, which when applied to various foods helps prevent them from drying out. This discovery is useful especially in creating and preserving foods that are rich in antioxidants, cardio-protective and anti-inflammatory supplements. And there is no shortage of citrus peels as the Florida citrus processing industry generates 3.5 to 5 million tons of citrus residue annually.

Tuesday, June 22
No briefings scheduled

Wednesday, June 23
8:40 a.m., Eastern Time

Green Politics: Increasing Awareness of Environmental Issues and Job Opportunities
U.S. Rep. John Tierney,
(D-MA)
John Warner,
President and Chief Technology Officer, Warner Babcock Institute

Addressing the dual challenges of unemployment and global warming, the Green Jobs Act, co-authored by Rep. Tierney (D-MA), is working to stimulate employment in the private sector by creating clean energy economy jobs. A study by the Pew Charitable Trusts says the number of clean energy jobs in the United States grew two and a half times faster than overall job growth during the last decade.

10:00 a.m., Eastern Time
Green Chemistry: from principle to practice
Anne Wallin,
Director of Sustainability Chemistry, Dow Chemical Company
Robert Peoples,
Director of ACS Green Chemistry Institute®
John Warner,
President and Chief Technology Officer, Warner Babcock Institute

Sustainability as a preferred value system is transforming industrial and community landscapes, forcing leaders to think about safer products, technologies, processes, and business models. Researchers at the Harvard Business Review state, “Becoming environment-friendly lowers costs…the process generates additional revenues from better products or enables companies to create new businesses.”

After nearly two decades, green chemistry has emerged as an integral solution for many business challenges. Anne Wallin will discuss green chemistry practices implemented at the Dow Chemical Company, nine-time winner of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index’s top performers in the global chemical industry. John Warner will offer projections on the future of green chemistry and report how past principles have impacted environmental change.

10:30 a.m., Eastern Time
Reusing LCD televisions for medical breakthroughs
Andrew Hunt, Ph.D.,
University of York, United Kingdom

With the popularity of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions, nearly 2.5 billion televisions are approaching the end of their lives generating an unprecedented quantity of electronic waste. Hunt and his colleagues developed a method for separating films in waste LCD panels, to create Polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA), which is highly porous and water soluble. Hunt envisions a range of applications for this material.

In tests conducted in early 2010, Hunt has shown that silver nanoparticles, which have an anti-microbial character, can successfully bond with PVA and kill bacteria such as Escherichia coli and some strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Subsequent testing and evaluation by regulatory agencies are the next steps, but Hunt envisions recovered PVA treated with silver nanoparticles could be used in a range of hospital applications to prevent infections.

Instructions for joining chat room sessions
Chat Room Sessions from ACS Green Chemistry Institute® Annual Green Chemistry Conference

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Office of Public Affairs is offering the news media the opportunity to join press briefings whether covering the meeting onsite or from a remote location. This format during ACS GCI’s 14th Annual Green Chemistry Conference will provide access to the increasing number of journalists who cover scientific meetings from their home base.

Borrowing the popular chat room concept from the Internet, we will provide news media with access to both real and virtual chat room sessions during the Washington, D.C., meeting.

Reporters attending the meeting can gather with scientists in an informal setting in our Press Briefing Room at the ACS Press Center in the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. Scientists will summarize their research and field questions. Offsite reporters can enter a virtual version of this Chat Room over the Internet. In addition to seeing and hearing the real-world activity, offsite reporters can submit questions.

Like hosts of a traditional chat room, we never know how many participants will join a session. Each session will proceed, regardless of attendance, so that digital transcripts can be made and posted online as a resource for individuals unable to attend.

Chat Room sessions will follow the schedule above. Get a head start by registering at Ustream.tv, a live, interactive online video site.

To register with Ustream.tv, go to http://ustream.tv/sign-up-step-1. It’s free and only takes a minute or two to sign up. To join the chat room during one of our sessions, visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive and click the “Login” button at the top right of the Ustream window. Ustream requires the latest version of Adobe Flash, which can be downloaded without charge here.

Use the chat box to the right of the video window to submit questions to the researchers. To resolve connection problems, contact Adam Dylewski (a_dylewski@acs.org). Recorded versions of the sessions will be available at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive after the press conference is complete.

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Media Contact:

Esther PeÑa
202-872-6103 office
202-510-2229 cell
e_pena@acs.org