Green Chemistry Teaching & Learning Community (GCTLC)

The Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) was borne out of a need for an online space for members of the green chemistry education community to network, collaborate, share resources, receive mentorship, learn from one another, and support each other in the ongoing transformation of the education system. A collaborative effort between Beyond Benign […]

Beyond Benign

Beyond Benign develops and disseminates green chemistry and sustainable science educational resources that empower educators, students, and the community at large to practice sustainability through chemistry. They work directly with educators and a network of strategic partners focused on science education, sustainability, innovation and initiatives supporting human and environmental health to provide an educational continuum […]

American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute

Formed as an independent not-for-profit organization in 1997, the Green Chemistry Institute (GCI) joined the American Chemical Society in 2001. The GCI mission is to catalyze the implementation of innovative approaches to chemistry and engineering that enable sustainable development across the globe. With seven full-time staff members as of 2024, the GCI has four strategic […]

Systems Thinking Terms & Concepts

The glossary of Systems Thinking terms and concepts shown on this page is based on a document originally developed in 2016 by Gilbert, Gross, and Kreutz for the InTeGrate platform. Lisa Gilbert created a modified newer version in conjunction with David Laviska and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute in 2024. The document provided […]

Acknowledging and Overcoming Challenges

If you are an educator looking for resources to support current or future inclusion of systems thinking in your teaching, then you probably already have some unique, individual views concerning the potential challenges and rewards inherent in the development/implementation of curricular changes. We are here to help! As a community of educators who understand the […]

The King’s Centre for Visualization in Science (KCVS)

The King’s Centre for Visualization in Science (KCVS)1 generates electronic interactive visualizations to help students and the public see and understand science. Around 500,000 unique visitors from 110 different countries use KCVS resources each year. A strong focus for KCVS is to collaborate with local, national and global partners to provide tools and resources for […]

International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD)

The International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD)1 is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization launched in 1981. IOCD’s mission is to promote the pursuit and application of the chemical sciences for sustainable, equitable human development and economic growth. It does this through the operation of Action Groups, Projects and Working Groups: current activities include Materials […]

Plan, assess, implement systems thinking in chemistry education

Click the Read More button to learn how to plan, implement and assess systems thinking, with examples.

(2019) Reimagining chemistry education: systems thinking and green and sustainable chemistry.

Journal of Chemical Education | Vol 96, No 12 (acs.org) This special issue topic was a group effort of the IUPAC Committee on Chemistry Education, the ACS Green Chemistry Institute, and the ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement. Papers in the issue are intended to be the inaugural global reference point for literature on systems thinking in chemistry […]

SOCKit, the SOCME Online Construction Kit (KCVS)

SOCKit, the SOCME Online Construction Kit, is an interactive, dynamic, web-based tool for creating and exploring SOCMEs (System-Oriented Concept Map Extension), created by the King’s Centre for Visualization in Science.  Concepts can be connected by labeled, directional links.  Related concepts can be grouped into subsystems, which helps users divide complex systems into more manageable chunks; […]

Planetary Boundaries (KCVS)

The Planetary Boundaries framework, first published by the Stockholm Resilience Centre in 2009, is a great example of using systems thinking to understand sustainability issues. The framework describes nine Earth system processes─biosphere integrity, climate change, novel entities, aerosols, stratospheric ozone, ocean acidification, fresh water, land use, and biogeochemical flows ─that collectively quantitatively assess the state […]

Tips for creating SOCMEs (KCVS)

Follow the link below for some general suggestions to think about when creating SOCMEs. Taken from the help pages at SOCKit (the SOCME Online Construction Kit), by the King’s Centre for Visualization in Science. On the SOCKit tips page you will find information on where to start when making a SOCME, how to add concepts […]

SageModeler (Concord Consortium)

SageModeler is a free online simulation tool designed for diagramming and modeling dynamic interactions among components of a system. Users lay out the components of a system, set their initial conditions, and define their interactions.  Strength of interactions can be controlled with “valves”.  Connections are unlabelled. The simulation can then model how changing levels of one component […]

Loopy (Nicky Case)

Loopy is a free online simulation tool designed for modeling systems using causal loop diagrams.  Users lay out the components of the system and link them with positive or negative connections.  (In a positive connection, an increase in the first component leads to an increase in the second.  In a negative connection, an increase in […]

SOCME

A SOCME, or System-Oriented Concept Map Extension, is a way to visualize the components and interactions of a system using a concept map. A “system” can be thought of as any collection of components that interact with each other. These could be anything from atoms to oceans to food security. (In fact, it can be […]

(2022) An interactive planetary boundaries systems thinking learning tool to integrate sustainability into the chemistry curriculum

Robert P. MacDonald, Anna N. Pattison, Sarah E. Cornell, Ashley K. Elgersma, Sarah N. Greidanus, Sydney N. Visser, Melanie Hoffman, and Peter G. Mahaffy

(2019) Applications of systems thinking in stem education

Sarah York, Rea Lavi, Yehudit Judy Dori, and MaryKay Orgill

(2019) Graphical tools for conceptualizing systems thinking in chemistry education

Katherine B. Aubrecht, Yehudit Judy Dori, Thomas A. Holme, Rea Lavi, Stephen A. Matlin, MaryKay Orgill, and Heather Skaza-Acosta

(2019) Systems thinking in science education and outreach toward a sustainable future 

Jillian L. Blatti, John Garcia, Danyal Cave, Felix Monge, Anthony Cuccinello, Jennifer Portillo, Betsy Juarez, Ellen Chan, and Frieda Schwebel 

(2019) Integrating systems thinking into teaching emerging technologies

Whitney C. Fowler, Jeffrey M. Ting, Siqi Meng, Lu Li, and Matthew V. Tirrell

Systems thinking in chemistry for sustainability: toward 2030 and beyond (STCS 2030+)

STCS 2030+ is a project to extend systems thinking into three main strands: sustainability, formal chemistry education, and chemical industry.

Learning objectives and strategies for infusing systems thinking into (post)-secondary general chemistry education

This project brings together a distinguished task force of global chemistry and chemistry education leaders to articulate learning objectives for infusing systems thinking and sustainability considerations into the formal teaching of chemistry. The project group will also suggest strategies to guide the use of these learning objectives in the design of curriculum and selection of engaging pedagogies.

Effective teaching tools and methods to learn about e-waste

This project's main target is to allow students to learn about e-waste from a chemical perspective and inspire educators to develop their ideas on this important topic related to sustainable chemistry.

Cross-disciplinary goals of green chemistry and the basic sciences for sustainable development 

This new project aims at interlinking basic sciences-relevant activities of IUPAC on Green Chemistry with sustainable development goals to demonstrate the excellence and contributions of IUPAC. This project particularly focuses on accomplishing the systematic analysis of chemical sciences-relevant activities of various Divisions and Committees of IUPAC according to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Green chemistry impact toward 2050 Green Deal in chemistry and sustainability

This project wants to address the green chemistry impact toward the upcoming 2050 Green Deal including promoting “climate-neutral bloc” and sustainable development in chemistry and also in the industry.

International teacher survey on Green and Sustainable Chemistry (GSC) practical activities

The objective of this project is to improve understanding of the use of practical work in high school chemistry classes, in particular in relation to the integration of concepts of sustainability.

Summer school on green chemistry 2021

The project aims to facilitate a profitable and continuous exchange of ideas and information among the students, the instructors and the different stakeholders for the establishment of long-lasting scientific relationships. All these students will be ambassadors of Green Chemistry in their institutions, in their Countries, and to their peers, and so invited to form international networks of scientists.

Assessment of the contribution of IUPAC projects to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

This project aims to assess the contribution of IUPAC projects to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are integrated and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: economy, society, and environment.

Systems thinking and sustainability- a workshop at 5th ACRICE

The 5th African Conference on Research in Chemistry Education (ACRICE) will be held in Cairo, Egypt and The Committee on Chemistry Education (CCE) has been invited to collaborate with the conference organisers to present a one-day workshop on systems thinking in chemistry education on the second day of the conference.

Global conversation on sustainability

This project aims to connect and engage chemists and related professionals from the chemistry enterprise in taking effective actions towards sustainability targeting the UN SDGs and keeping track of their progress.

Connecting chemistry teaching to sustainability through systems thinking- a workshop series

These workshops aim to introduce systems thinking to secondary school teachers and then consider its usefulness in teaching science and chemistry, especially to help students connect chemistry to global sustainability challenges.