Greening Science: JoVE and the Environment

Robert Ainslie

During my time as an undergraduate, I developed a care for the environment and an interest in how science and engineering can help preserve the planet. Oddly enough, my organic chemistry professor was a key influence, as he was involved in spreading the message about green chemistry. Green chemistry is chemistry that, by design, is inherently safer for human health and the environment. All of the students in my classes learned the 12 principles of green chemistry and enacted these through student projects and weekly laboratory experiments. We came to see that by designing and performing our experiments with certain principles in mind, we were able to make less of an impact on the environment, while still learning all about alkenes, alkynes, ketones, and aromatics. By including green chemistry in my chemical education, I learned that you don’t necessarily have to be studying environmental science to make a positive impact on the planet, and that these principles can be applied to many aspects of life.

Reflecting on this now, I not only see how important this perspective is for daily life, but for all of scientific exploration. Both those conducting and reporting all forms of scientific research can make an impact in greening science. In addition to clearly-defined organizations that are using green chemistry for scientific and planet impact, like the WarnerBabcock Institute for Green Chemistry, JoVE plays a key, but not often realized role, in this movement of green science. Hearkening back to the 12 principles of green chemistry, the very first principle is: Pollution Prevention-it  is better to prevent waste than treat and clean up waste after it has formed.

One major way that pollution is prevented is by using fewer reagents and materials. This is often achieved by scaling down experiments to use smaller reagent volumes per experiment. Even if some experiments may not be able to reduce experimental materials, not having to run experiments multiple times to achieve results is an extremely effective way to reduce laboratory waste. This is where JoVE comes to the rescue.

Imagine watching a video protocol to learn an experiment (because of JoVE, it’s admittedly not that hard to imagine!). Now, instead of fumbling through multiple rounds of experimentation and creating waste that must be disposed of, you can watch someone point out the proper techniques step-by-step in a highly visual, easily understood video article. Using video articles to learn methods will not only save time, energy, and money, but will also be enacting the first principle of green chemistry, and, I propose, the first principle of green science. How cool is that!?

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