Green chemistry for K-12 teaching

Elementary school resources

It’s never too early to get your students thinking about green chemistry topics! Here are some open-access lessons to introduce green chemistry concepts to elementary school classrooms:

• Properties of Adhesives: A Sticky Situation: By making and comparing different glues, students learn about the properties of adhesives and how nature can inspire new innovations.
• The Secrets of Sharks’ Skin: Learn how sharks have inspired innovations in antimicrobial surfaces through a hands-on simulation.
• Honoring the Salmon: Students learn the role of salmon in the history and culture of the first peoples of our region. Watch the Through Salmon Eyes video have students think from a salmon’s perspective and discuss how green chemistry and sustainable science can help decrease our impacts on the environment.
• CreositySpace Conscientious Chemists: Students learn about green chemistry from the perspective of entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers.
• STEMify Your Classroom Supply List: In this lesson students will develop an evidence-based argument after investigating the product safety, performance, and cost of a variety of cleaning and disinfecting products. Students will be introduced to the principles of sustainable design, life-cycle thinking, and how to identify safer products using certifications.
• 2nd Grade Biomimicry Lesson Plan: Designed to supplement or extend the 2nd grade Smithsonian Science for the Classroom life science module.
• 5th Grade Water Scarcity Lesson Plan: Designed to supplement or extend the 5th grade Smithsonian Science for the Classroom engineering design module.
• 5th Grade What's in a Packing Peanut?: Designed to supplement or extend the 5th grade Smithsonian Science for the Classroom physical science module.

Additional resources

• Sustainable Design through Biomimicry poster: Download, print, or request a free copy.
• Ask Nature: Activities about biomimicry and green chemistry.
• ClimeTime: Climate science learning program.

Middle school resources

Middle school educators can bring green chemistry into their classrooms using the following curriculum resources:

• Careers in Green Chemistry and Sustainable Design: Video series highlighting professionals in Washington whose careers impact products or chemicals used in Washington. In each video, the professionals share their reflections in response to a series of interview questions.
• Sustainable STEM: Making Mushroom Materials: Students create their own cellphone case out of renewable mushroom material and assess the product against three green chemistry criteria.
• Blackberry Solar Cell: Students learn how solar cells are made and how to make their own.
  Note: Teachers can order the Flinn laboratory kit to get the materials.
• Ocean plastics: Students design an alternative to plastic beverage bottles, and evaluate their alternative using three green chemistry criteria.
• Polymers for the Planet: Students solve a real world design challenge created by Boeing engineers in partnership with teachers. Using science and engineering, students work through an iterative process that results in the development and testing of prototypes.
• JV InvenTeams on Green Chemistry: Students learn how to apply green chemistry to promote  sustainable design, bioplastics, and chemical science.
• CreositySpace Conscientious Chemists: Students learn about green chemistry from the perspective of entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers.

Additional resources

• Sustainable Design through Biomimicry poster: Download, print, or request a free copy.
• The 6 Rs of Sustainable Design: Download, print, or request a free copy.
• Ask Nature: Activities about biomimicry and green chemistry.
• ClimeTime: An OSPI-facilitated climate science learning program.

High school resources

Create a safer lab environment

By taking stock of your current chemicals and either substituting them for safer alternatives or replacing them with green chemistry experiments, you can ​​create a safer classroom environment.

1. Complete your chemical inventory​
   School labs must have complete chemical inventories, safety data sheets, and written hazard communication and chemical hygiene plans. Use King County's Rehab the Lab tools to help you understand these requirements better.
    
2. Replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives​
   Look for safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in experiments you already teach. For ideas on replacing chemicals with safer alternatives, contact our Pollution Prevention Assistance program.
   • If you must keep certain chemicals, be sure they are stored properly.
   • If you no longer use certain chemicals, be sure they are disposed of properly.
      
3. Substitute traditional experiments with safer versions
   Find safer experiments that cover the same content as traditional labs but use safer chemicals. Some examples include:​
   • Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions Lab: Uses catalase, an enzyme found in nearly all living organisms, and citric acid and water.
   • Le Chatelier’s Principle lab: Uses inexpensive household materials.
   • Reactions lab: Learn about single, double, composition, and decomposition reactions with green chemistry.

Take the Improving Lab Safety and Reducing Chemical Hazards in the Laboratory Classroom course to learn more.

Green chemistry resources for high school

• Careers in Green Chemistry and Sustainable Design: Video series highlighting professionals in Washington whose careers impact products or chemicals used in Washington. In each video, the professionals share their reflections in response to a series of interview questions.
• Introducing Green Chemistry: The Science of Solutions: Students learn the basics of green chemistry by applying their problem-solving skills to improve a type of glue with the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry.
• Oxybenzone vs. Zinc Oxide in Sunscreen: Students learn about chemical toxicity and safety issues associated with UV, tanning, and sun exposure. Students collect and analyze data to better understand the health differences between zinc oxide and oxybenzone.
• National Science Foundation/University of Minnesota Labs for high school: Learn about engineering and green chemistry principles by exploring sustainable polymers.
• USDA BioPreferred Standards Context Lesson: Learn about carbon isotopes while discussing carbon sources for materials.
• Online Summer Green Chemistry Courses for High School teachers 
  Introductory and advanced online summer courses are offered each year to provide educators with tools to integrate green chemistry principles and practices into their classroom. These courses are structured in an interactive go-at-your-own-pace format. Optional graduate education credits available.
• Beyond Benign: Open-access resources and activities to bring green chemistry and physical science topics to high school classrooms.

Additional resources

• Bees, Bananas, Benign - Green Chemistry Poster: Download, print, or request a free copy.
• Sustainable Design through Biomimicry poster: Download, print, or request a free copy.
• Interview with Green Chemist, Saskia van Bergen: Q&A with notable women in STEM.
• ClimeTime: Climate science learning program.