IUPAC

To introduce and disseminate the seeds of Sustainable Education and Environmental Development (SEED) in Latin America, in the field of Green Chemistry. This including clarification, through establishing the network centered in Argentina, to get better quality and to extend green chemistry collaboration from the Europe to Latin American.

Green Chemistry provides a fertile field for cooperation, as it covers many aspects of modern chemistry and creates a real basis for sustainable development. Two previous IUPAC have been completed in these topics: a book on “Green Chemistry in Latin America” (Eds. Pietro Tundo and Rita Hoyos de Rossi IUPAC project 2002-064-1-300) and the translation from Italian to Spanish by Patricia Vázquez of book “Introduzione alla Chimica Verde” (IUPAC project 2005-015-1-300).

There are several Green Chemistry national networks in developing countries, but it is necessary to make a solid effort to build up a large network covering all Latin America.

The thematic points on which the project is based are related to the three spheres of interaction that are the very basis of human and social development: The relation to ourselves, to others and to the environment. We have to deal with complex issues arising from activities such as climate change, diminishing biodiversity, irresponsible exploitation of resources, peaking of oil production, pollution, resource depletion and concentration, risks of alienation from fellow humans and of destroying Earth as we know it. The question that needs addressing from an educational and scientific perspective is: How do we approach the critical analysis and implementation of the various solutions that are advanced such as alter-globalization, community-supported agriculture, eco-development, ecological economics, industrial ecology, life-cycle assessment, organic production, amongst others?

Today several Latin-American countries are working on Green Chemistry topics but the quality of their efforts and results needs improvement.  Project SEED includes a different and attractive way to enter into these topics. These can be, for example: resolution of environmental problems by catalysis with synthesis of nanoparticles, materials from renewable resources and the introduction of educational problems in Green Chemistry, such as the study and revision of the curricula of a number of chemical courses, including teacher training for basic education in chemistry. The principal task during the project will be to establish a coordinated and regular calendar of virtual and personal contacts between Latin-American groups and the most important worldwide networks in the field, to improve the connectedness among the researchers of all theses countries.

SEED will advance the interactions between society and Green Chemistry, as was previously said. This network will try to transform our worldviews, our relationships with the world and our common goal of developing sustainable chemical activities in the Latin-American countries through educational and research activities.