Green Chemistry interlude for all to read (yes, you)

Well, I'm trying to cut back on the chemistry writing, but it is in my blood (yours too!). So, check out this blog and the comments (including mine!). Enough with the exclamation points, already!

The following editorial is designed to be readable by anyone, not just technically-trained experts:

Green chemistry is a very valuable, in fact critically important, field of research, and it has already contributed enormously to reducing pollution. Although there are a number of guiding principles that are a standard reference in the field, one key and accessible part of this research is the idea that "it is better to avoid creating pollution in the first place than to have to clean it up afterwards". The thing is, this is completely possible, NOW, and has already been done in many cases. So, this isn't an example of science claiming breakthroughs but then saying that "they might be useful in about 10 years", it is helping today.

In the USA, Green Chemistry has been greatly helped by the EPA and by pioneers such as the late Joe Breen and the indefatigable Paul Anastas, both of whom worked at the EPA in their careers. However, it is a fully-international field of endeavor, with the U.K., Italy, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea and China being just a few examples of the many countries involved. Much can be learned from the pages of Green Chemistry, the Royal Society of Chemistry journal. In the interests of full disclosure, I used to be an Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Board for this journal (no monetary compensation is associated with my mentioning it, however).


The European Union (EU) has been another leader in Green Chemistry, both via research, funding, and by tightening environmental regulations. See comments from the University of York scientist, James Clark. The American Chemical Society and its Green Chemistry Institute also help lead and promote the field. These links will take you to more of the story.

COMMENTS WELCOME (non-technical questions are especially welcome).

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Books: Perez-Reverte; Guitar commentaries; chemistry

Literature: For those of you who arrived hoping to read about novels, I'll sneak in a mention of one of my favorite authors, Arturo Perez-Reverte. Click the link to see what Powell's has to offer by him. Reviews of individual books to appear later.

Music and guitars: for those waiting on guitar and equipment reviews, they are still under construction. zZounds offers the widest selection of name-brand instruments at guaranteed lowest prices. You can purchase over 125,000 different products from their website 24 hours a day. Click here to look!

I play a bunch of things: a Taylor Leo Kottke 12-string (great guitar, from Eddie's Guitars in Maplewood, MO), a bunch of Godins (love them), a Strat Plus (from Silver Strings, St. Louis- I have the most confidence soloing on this), two 1972 Tele Custom reissues (One nice Squire w/5 strings a la Keef, one gem made in Japan "not for export" w/brass bridge), a Fly deluxe (funny guitar- the volume knob placement and body resonances can drive me nuts, but the neck and frets are great) and Midi-fly (without the midi working yet, but this is a great guitar), a low end Brian Moore w/13-pin, and some nice, but not amazing, acoustics (Alvarez dreadnought, Ibanez larger body style, baby Taylor). I have to share all these with my son Jacob, who also has some Jacksons and classical instruments, and who plays rings around me at age 14. He doesn't share his guitars with me.

Just a quick note on Science: I referred briefly to Green Chemistry in my first post. Here are a few resources for the scientifically-inclined (click on the links to go to the resource pages):

A synopsis of work I was involved in

and the home page for the

Green Chemistry Resource Exchange

See also page 2 of my bookshelf at Powell's for related books. The theme is either "books on Green Chemistry" or books written by Green or Greene, plus one huge and comprehensive encyclopedia of catalysis put together by a friend. The books by Green and Greene were too good to keep off the list, though they are for transition metal organometallic chemistry and protecting group chemistry, respectively, which are just peripherally related to "Green Chemistry".

For more on Green Chemistry, don't forget to check out my links to the EPA's program from my earlier post!

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For excellent fiction: SOHO Press and Powell's Bookstore

1. SOHO press and SOHO crime. This publisher has a remarkable ability to find brilliant writers, including crime writers, from around the world. With settings in Australia, New Zealand, Paris, Italy, Alaska, China, Japan and other places, the books can step far out of the standard police procedural or mystery patterns, but even if they don't, they step far out of most people's comfort zones both culturally and geographically (no matter where you live). This adds much to enjoy. Many bookstores don't carry SOHO, or only have a few volumes available. Hence, the importance of the next point:



2. Powell's Books is acknowledged by many as one of the best bookstores in the world, if not THE best. Check out their top 10 lists in Crime Fiction and Featured Books.

Here is my own list of recommended crime and mystery novels available at Powell's. I have read, and endorse, them all. This is just a start- there will be many more books added. I put in several links to Charlotte Jay's "Beat Not the Bones", winner of the very first Edgar Award, because it is a bit scarce, and I didn't want to send you to a sold-out version. I'll be writing reviews of all of the books on my list when I can. I strongly recommend reading Cara Black's books in order they were published. I'm still reading "The Woman Who married a Bear" by John Straley, but the early reviews are strong.


Powell's supports the Green Press Initiative (see here for the organization's main site). Having worked in Green Chemistry, I know first hand that publishing and the paper industry are certainly areas that can benefit from environmentally-aware innovation.

Acknowledgments: I would like to thank my brother John and my good friend John F. of St. Louis for introducing me to most of the authors and books on my current crime fiction list. They have also introduced me to many books that will make their way into the other fiction lists I will be putting together. I had thought that this acknowledgment would show up on the list itself, but I must have misunderstood, so here it is.




Here you can search Powell's Bookstore for anything:

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