DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00288

Summary
This paper deals with the efforts of the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI) to develop a road map for mainstreaming green and sustainable chemistry concepts and practices into the chemistry curriculum. The road map vision is: “Chemistry education that equips and inspires chemists to help solve the grand challenges of sustainability”.
The road map activities and outcomes are intended to equip educators so that they may prepare students to be successful contributors to solving the grand challenges of sustainability.
Over the past several years, ACS GCI convened several workshops with various stakeholders from across the chemistry enterprise to envision a future for chemistry education that embodies a more systemic and comprehensive approach to integrating green and sustainable chemistry concepts.
This road map was envisioned as a long-term initiative requiring a sustained, multipronged approach to introduce changes to the chemistry curriculum, prepare chemistry educators, develop educational resources, and create demand among employers for chemists equipped with this knowledge.
In this article, the multipronged approach that has evolved is further explained through a description of (1) the road map, (2) the road map vision, (3) the green and sustainable core competencies, (4) activities to promote systems thinking in chemistry education, (5) integration of green and sustainable chemistry concepts and systems thinking into the ACS Exams Institute’s Anchoring Concepts Content Maps (ACCMs), and (6) the publication of a green chemistry supplement to the ACS Guidelines for Bachelors’ Degree Programs.
In order to overcome the large gulf between the desired state as embodied by the road map vision and the current state of chemistry education, the next steps for the road map are analyzed:
• The first step toward greater alignment is to integrate green and sustainable chemistry concepts and systems thinking into the Anchoring Concepts Content Maps (ACCMs) and then into all chemistry education.
• As clarity is created around green and sustainable chemistry concepts in the curriculum, there is a need for high-quality educational materials that support educators.
• There is considerable need for capacity building and support for educators to adopt green and sustainable chemistry into the classroom successfully. Different forms of professional development, such as train-the-trainer workshops and the establishment of a network of mentors, would support future development of chemistry educators.
• Since learning objectives and associated assessment methodologies to evaluate student knowledge and conceptual understanding of green and sustainable chemistry are limited and do not currently exist for systems thinking in chemistry education, their creation should be a priority.
In conclusion, the authors state that while all progress toward the integration of green and sustainable chemistry into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum is laudable, there is a real sense that the pace of change needs to accelerate.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper proposes the use of a road map for mainstreaming green and sustainable chemistry concepts and practices into the chemistry curriculum. It is relevant with interdisciplinarity, system thinking and sustainable development.
In this article it is suggested that in order to successfully apply systems thinking to the practice of chemistry, it is necessary to harness the efforts of broad interdisciplinary teams that include, among others, chemists, toxicologists, biologists, engineers, innovators, business leaders, public health professionals, and policy makers.

Point of Strength
The point of strength of this article is that it presents the development of a road map for green and sustainable chemistry adoption into chemistry education as a thoughtful, effective approach to achieving systemic and lasting change.