Chemistry Classes Go Eco-Friendly

The green movement is filtering into the chemistry sphere as companies and universities realize that cutting back on toxic materials is important.

Many chemical companies want to save money and promote eco-friendly products, which means that they need employees who share their vision of sustainable chemistry and can create "long-term solutions," says Neil Hawkins, vice president for sustainability at Dow Chemical Co. The students that he hires need to be able to juggle environmental, social and economic decisions.

A number of universities see the industry needs and are planning "green chemistry" curriculum that will teach students about toxicology, something that most doctorate students at U.S. universities do not have to understand to graduate, reports The New York Times.

The University of Oregon leads the movement and has seen this coming for a while. The university started teaching professors across the nation nine years ago about using green chemistry curriculum.

Once the green chemistry application market starts moving faster -- it's currently at 1 percent of the chemical market share -- the need for chemists with green chemistry and toxicology knowledge will skyrocket.

For the complete story, visit The New York Times.