Student Chapters
Go Green With Your ACS Student Chapter
ACS student chapters are organizations for undergraduate students interested in chemical sciences. Student chapters provide enriching educational experiences and prepare members for successful careers in chemistry. As a member of a student chapter, you can participate in programs and activities that enrich your exploration of green and sustainable chemistry.
Want to “green” your student chapter? Explore the resources on this page to find green chemistry outreach or educational activities to conduct throughout the school year. you will have a chance to receive a Green Chemistry Student Chapter Award.
Green Chemistry Student Chapter Awards
ACS recognizes student chapters based on the programs and activities described in your annual chapter report. For your chapter to qualify for a Green Chemistry Student Chapter Award, it must complete three or more qualifying green chemistry activities. (See below for more information about qualifying activities.)
Green Chemistry Activities for Student Chapters
Watch this video to find out what activities count toward a Green Chemistry Student Chapter Award.
- Read the InChemistry article: Take Your Chapter to the Next Level with Green Chemistry.
How-to Guides for Chapter Leaders:
Activity Requirements:
To be considered for a Green Chemistry Student Chapter Award, you must provide
- a detailed summary of at least three green chemistry activities
- a brief explanation of why each activity qualifies as an example of green chemistry, and
- one or more of the 12 principles of green chemistry that directly relate to each activity.
Recommended Activities:
The Evolving Periodic Table and the Future of Energy Storage
- Watch the Video: The Evolving Periodic Table and its Incredible Elements
- Complete the Activity: Green Chemistry Student Activity: The Evolving Periodic Table and the Future of Energy Storage [PDF]
Voyage to Mars
- Watch the Video: Voyage to Mars: Red Planet Chemistry
- Complete the Activity: Green Chemistry Student Activity: Green Chemistry and Engineering in the Final Frontier [PDF]
BioPlastics
EPA's Safer Choice Program
- Watch the Video: EPA Safer Choice Program
- Complete the Activity: Formulate your own hand soap using the Safer Choice Criteria
Ineligible Activities:
Your chapter's green chemistry projects must incorporate learning about chemical processes. For example, an Earth Day celebration on its own cannot count toward the green chemistry activity requirements. But an Earth Day celebration that features a relevant chemistry activity could. Here are some examples of ineligible activities:
- Park, stream, road or other clean-up
- Recycling drive
- Water monitoring
- Reusing materials from past reports
- Earth Day celebration without green chemistry component specified
- Any activity with only one member involved
- Attending three talks by home university professors
- General sustainability practices, (e.g. using biodegradable coffee filters)
- Most movie screenings (especially when only linked to climate change without a chemistry context)
- Outreach activities or demos with no green chemistry component
Green Chemistry Student Chapters in Action: Examples of Successful Projects
Get ideas for your own chapter activities from these ACS Student Chapters whose members completed outstanding green chemistry projects.
