Chemists Celebrate Earth Week spreads awareness

Abstract

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of Chemists Celebrate Earth Day (CCED), the American Chemical Society expanded its annual outreach program to raise awareness about chemistry’s role in the environment from one day to one week and renamed it Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW). CCEW took place this year on April 22–28 at schools, shopping malls, libraries, and other public venues around the U.S. ACS members interacted with almost 100,000 people during the campaign. This year’s theme was “Dive into Marine Chemistry,” which encouraged the public to learn about marine chemistry. “CCED was developed as a pilot to celebrate and highlight the positive impact of chemistry on the environment,” says Michael McGinnis, chair of the Committee on Community Activities, which coordinates CCEW in collaboration with the ACS Office of Science Outreach. “With local sections and student chapters expanding programing analogous to National Chemistry Week, it was natural to promote CCED