Dec. 8, 2011—Participation in a new "green chemistry" pilot project will not only improve the impact of district operations on the environment, but teach high school students about a growing scientific sector.

Schalmont is one of only four high schools statewide selected for this exciting project being conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) through a grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, New York City. The two-year project is a continuation of the DEC’s initiative to reduce toxic chemicals being used in New York State's schools, which began in 2005 with outreach about the use of mercury in school chemistry labs.

As a pilot school, Schalmont has agreed to implement green chemistry principles into the science curriculum for at least one school calendar year. This involves conducting chemistry experiments with more environmentally-conscious reactants in place of toxic chemicals. Toxic chemicals can be difficult to manage; costing schools a significant amount of money for storage and disposal.

“Promoting and using non-toxic chemicals just makes sense,” said high school science teacher Adam Labuda. “By implementing green chemistry practices, we’ll be promoting environmentalism with our students while fostering their environmental conscience."

The transition process will begin later this month under the guidance of DEC officials, who will be updating Schalmont’s chemical inventory with help from the chemistry teachers. This includes documenting, assessing and cleaning out stored science chemicals.

“Safe storage skills benefit teachers as well as protect our students’ safety,” said Labuda.

State officials will also provide recommendations on a variety of alternative, environmentally–conscious reactants.

“Purchasing less toxic chemicals will equate in cost savings at disposal time, as well as less liability; but more importantly, offers benefits for the health and safety of students and staff,” said Aida Potter, DEC’s chief of toxics reduction and green chemistry for the project.

In Schalmont, for example, anything that goes down a drain must be filtered naturally on-site because of the district’s septic system.

“The use of environmentally-friendly products should help protect the long-term quality of our water—one of our most important natural resources,” said Labuda.

In January, Labuda, along with colleagues Lynn Gemmiti and Rose Hochmuth, will participate in a full-day workshop where they’ll learn about the 12 principles of green chemistry, work with hands-on experiments and receive lesson plans, which will introduce the concepts of green chemistry to students.

The DEC green chemistry workshop will be held at Siena College for science educators from around the region. The location is fitting since Siena College began replacing conventional chemistry experiments with equivalent green chemistry experiments years ago to increase student safety and decrease environmental hazards. Green chemistry has recently gained momentum as common practice on college campuses, and is quickly becoming the standard in both education and private companies.

“As many institutions of higher learning move towards green chemistry, this will be a nice segue for our students as well,” said Labuda.

The science teachers’ enthusiasm to embrace and support the project's goals was one of the reasons Schalmont was selected as a pilot school. Other selection criteria included the teachers’ willingness to participate in the green chemistry training and a needs assessment on the condition of the school’s chemical management system.

“I am very happy we were selected as a pilot school," said Gemmiti. "I’m looking forward to implementing new and revised chemistry labs that are more energy-efficient while utilizing non-toxic products.”

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