“Green chemistry” signed into law

In the closing days of the last session, the Michigan legislature passed landmark "green chemistry" legislation, a long-standing policy priority of the Ecology Center. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Dec. 14.

"We have been making the case for several years now that 'green chemistry' should be a major component of building a sustainable economy, and we're delighted that Michigan is continuing to position itself as a leader in this new industry," according to Tracey Easthope, the Ecology Center's environmental health director.

The bill was introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2009 by Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton and supported by Reps. Deb Kennedy, Lesia Liss, Dan Scripps, Vincent Gregory, Andrew Kandrevas and Sarah Roberts.

"Green chemistry," an innovative scientific movement aimed at replacing toxic chemicals with safer chemicals and materials, provides an overarching set of principles for chemists and others to develop products, processes and services that curb pollution, waste, and energy consumption. Green chemistry examples include making soybean-based foam car seats in Ford's 2010 Fusion Hybrid, or paint ingredients manufactured by PPG Industries using old lobster shells in auto assembly plants in Michigan.

Although green chemistry has been around for over a decade, as fuel prices rise, and concern about toxic chemicals grow, it is generating more interest from industries in search of sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based products and work processes that use a lot of energy and discharge toxic chemicals, according to Easthope.

The green-chemistry movement began in earnest in 1998, when Paul Anastas and John Warner published the book "Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice." The book included a seminal list of "Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry," outlining methods for designing energy-efficient processes for creating products that don't use or generate hazardous substances.

According to estimates, industries that have adopted the standards have saved millions of dollars in resources, waste and cleanup expenses. "These companies also have eliminated what is estimated to be billions of pounds of toxic waste and saved billions of gallons of water each year, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gases," Easthope said.

The Ecology Center joined the green-chemistry movement shortly after its founding, and has worked for many years advocating for policy changes and better science education at all levels.

In 2009, the Ecology Center received one of the state's first Green Chemistry Gubernatorial Awards. The awards were established as part of a 2006 executive directive signed by Granholm, which established state policy encouraging the use of safer, less toxic, or non-toxic chemical alternatives to hazardous substances and the research, development, and implementation of green chemistry in Michigan.

The legislation signed in December amends statutes dealing with state economic development programs focusing on high technology and on new and developing energy sectors in order to make enterprises engaged in the development of "green chemistry" eligible for grants, tax credits, and other benefits that are available to participants in the programs.

In the legislation, "The term 'green chemistry' refers to the design of chemical products or processes that reduce or eliminate the manufacture, use, or generation of hazardous substances, while producing high-quality products, and includes the development of safer bio-based chemical and materials," according to a summary prepared by the Michigan House of Representatives.