Recent chemical reform bills call for green chemistry to be a core element as a source of safer alternatives. But green chemistry offers much more than just replacements.

Dozens of companies, as well as many academic laboratories, are pursuing the same goal — to produce algae as a source of, literally, green energy. And many of them are using genetic engineering or other biological techniques, like chemically induced mutations, to improve how algae functions.

Overshadowed by the angst over Assembly Bill 32 and its greenhouse-gas reduction mandate is a potentially more far-reaching legacy of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration: green chemistry to regulate toxic substances in consumer products.

There is an increasing awareness that cities function as complex, dynamic urban ecosystems. Thus major shifts in planning, decision making and implementation will be needed to address the challenge of urban sustainability.

Biodegradable biopolymer microspheres could deliver stem cells to the eyes of patients whose sight has been destroyed by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to repair the damage and enable them to see clearly again, say researchers in the UK.

A new sugar-based compound that selectively converts oils into a gel could serve as a new tool for cleaning up oil spills, its inventors say.

By imaging the cell walls of a zinnia leaf down to the nanometer scale, energy researchers have a better idea about how to turn plants into biofuels.

A Minnesota start-up has developed a new bio-based fire retardant as a cheaper, safer alternative to chemical foams.

Some regulators seem intent on running the state's economy even further into the ground. Last month the California EPA released proposed regulations under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Green Chemistry Initiative, a plan for a comprehensive statewide chemical monitoring system.

Ten "Green Depots", a retail supplier of environmentally sensitive building and finishing products, have opened since founder Sarah Beatty, a former MTV and cable industry executive, launched the first store in Brooklyn in 2005.

Responsible Care processes can help reduce operating costs, and help strengthen ACC’s advocacy in critical areas such as energy conservation, plant security, and changes to the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Scientists at the University of Washington have followed nature's lead to design and build two artificial enzymes that could "green up" the production of plastics, drugs, textiles and a wide range of other goods.

Some popular scented products contain a potpourri of potentially hazardous chemicals, many of which aren't listed on the packaging, say US researchers. Yet very little is known about the compounds used in fragrances.

A biorenewable polymer could replace synthetic plastic used in water bottles, claim US scientists.

When a bill to ban a common plastic additive in feeding products for young children passed the Assembly on July 1, it marked a milestone in state legislative efforts to regulate bisphenol A.

Invigorating green chemistry is a win-win solution. Americans will become healthier because the materials in their homes, the air, and water will be safe by design, and the chemical industry will be better positioned to compete in world markets that care about chemical safety.

A straightforward and environmentally friendly technique uses carbon dioxide to convert acidic C–H bonds in aromatic compounds into acid and ester groups. The reaction could make aromatic acids and esters more readily available for use in organic synthesis, drug discovery, and other applications.

Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered that PCBs are present in many more kinds of paint pigment than previously known. While the US EPA knew about some of the contamination, the extent of the problem is a surprise.

When Oregon State University researcher Dr. Kaichang Li pitched an environmentally friendly soy-based adhesive at a wood products industry conference in 2002, most people in the audience had no interest. Attendees were satisfied with the way they had manufactured wood for decades.

A professor of wood science and engineering at Oregon State University who won the 2007 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award has now come up with a vegetable-based, pressure-sensitive glue that is environmentally benign, cheap and doesn't require petrochemicals.