by Ralph Lauren M. Alomia
February 22, 2025 – As part of the 2025 Chemistry Week Celebration, the Philippine Association for Chemistry Teachers – National Chapter (PACT-National) successfully hosted its sixth installment of the imPACT webinar series, focusing on “Teaching Green Chemistry and Sustainable Practices.” The virtual event, conducted via Zoom, drew participants from various regions across the Philippines and was accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) with two Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units for Professional Teachers.
The event commenced with opening remarks from Dr. Voltaire G. Organo, President of PACT-National, setting the tone for an insightful discussion on integrating Green Chemistry and Sustainable Development into the chemistry curriculum.
Green Chemistry Integration and Sustainable Education
The first speaker, Mr. Jerald T. Villarmino, R.Ch., Founder of Green Chemistry Philippines, introduced strategies to incorporate Green Chemistry principles into Philippine Chemistry Education. He emphasized the importance of contextualizing lessons around Green Chemistry practices, fostering environmental awareness and sustainability values among learners. Mr. Villarmino also encouraged participants to join the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) (https://gctlc.org), an international network for educators and advocates of sustainable chemistry.
Following this, Assistant Professor Hazel Joyce M. Ramirez, LPT, MAEd., from the College of Education, University of the Philippines Diliman, discussed the role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) pedagogy in Chemistry education. She highlighted its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and provided actionable methods to integrate Green Chemistry principles such as Atom Economy, Waste Prevention, and Energy Efficiency into high school curricula. Additionally, she introduced Systems Thinking as a framework for teaching sustainability and familiarized participants with the Green and Sustainable Chemistry projects by UN and International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
A Step Forward for Philippine Chemistry Education
The webinar successfully reinforced the importance of environmentally responsible chemistry education, equipping teachers with innovative tools and strategies to promote sustainability in their classrooms. The event concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Edwehna Elinore S. Paderna, Executive Vice President of PACT-National, who reiterated the organization’s commitment to advancing Green Chemistry education in the Philippines.