ConfChem Conference on Educating the Next Generation: Green and Sustainable ChemistryAn Online Conference

Education is the key to a sustainable future. The incorporation of sustainability and green chemistry into the curriculum for scientists and nonscientists is necessary if society is to change our current path and achieve a sustainable world. The Spring 2010 ConfChem conference, Educating the Next Generation: Green and Sustainable Chemistry, was held from May 7 to June 30, 2010 and contained 7 papers exploring resources and activities that would be of use to chemical educators who wish to integrate green and sustainable chemistry principles into the curriculum. This communication introduces the conference, addresses what is meant by sustainable, presents an argument for why current practices are nonsustainable, and how through education we can incorporate a sustainable mindset into our experimental and material design, and the practice of chemistry.