A Systems Thinking Department: Fostering a Culture of Green Chemistry Practice among Students

Green chemistry and sustainability concepts have been woven into the University of Toronto undergraduate curriculum for almost two decades. This has been achieved through (i) development of expository, discovery-based, and student-directed laboratory experiments; (ii) evolution of several upper-year courses; and (iii) strategic integration of these components into two academic programs. In conjunction with the establishment of a graduate student-run organization known as the Green Chemistry Initiative who assists with curricular redesign, a committed departmental attitude has developed toward sustainability education. The notion of systems thinking (where links are forged between varying systemic components which affect each other in different ways, and separate components are considered as a whole) influences both specific green instructional practices and the broader Department of Chemistry approach to sustainable education and research. This article outlines the departmental mindset in relation to green chemistry, and how systems thinking has inherently informed the progress made. The connection between systems thinking and green chemistry is solidified through discussion of the Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) learning objectives. The GCC is a voluntary initiative designed by a nonprofit organization (Beyond Benign) to assist in the preparation of chemists whose skills are aligned with the needs of the planet and its inhabitants in the 21st century.