Congress Banquet

The Congress Banquet will feature speaker Paul Anastas. Dr. Anastas is the Assistant-Administrator-Designate at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Research and Development. Dr. Anastas served as chief of the Industrial Chemistry Branch and director of the U.S. Green Chemistry Program at the EPA, where he coined the term “green chemistry” in 1991. From 1999 to 2004 he served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, most recently as assistant director for the environment. He then served as director of the Green Chemistry Institute, headquartered at the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C. While there, he established 24 green chemistry chapters in countries around the world. He joined Yale in January 2007 where he is currently director of the Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering. He holds joint appointments in chemistry, chemical engineering and the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Anastas earned his B.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and his M.A. and Ph.D. in chemistry from Brandeis University. He has written widely about science and sustainability, including his seminal work with co-author John Warner, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice, which outlines the 12 principles of green chemistry and engineering. He has earned numerous awards, including the EPA’s Joseph Seifter Award; Canada’s inaugural Green Chemistry Medal; the Greek Chemical Society Award; the Nolan Sommer Award; the Vice President’s Hammer Award; the Scientific American 50 Award; and the Heinz Award in the Environment.