The end of the semester is getting near, and it's time to reflect on the class as a whole. If I had to explain the field of green chemistry to a friend, I would say that it is a relatively new field that is still expanding and growing its ideas, and it also strictly follows the twelve basic principles of green chemistry, including: "Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries", "Design for Degradation", and "Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention."
The "Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries" means to use as less chemicals that could potentially harm the environment and human health as possible. For example, many soaps are made up of chemicals that could be easily replaced with natural ingredients. Therefore, natural soap is the perfect example for this principle. Next time buying soap, look for the ingredients and see if they are natural!
"Design for Degradation" means designing materials to be biodegradable whenever possible. Many companies have been trying to go by this principle, including Lay's. They have now created biodegradable bags!
Last but not least, "Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention" means that we should plan to minimize (or completely eliminate) any potential chemical accidents. This is certainly true for nuclear power plants: when designing them, we have to make sure that contains lots of backup to prevent any accidents.
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