What is Green Chemistry?

I thought I had a bit of an understanding of green chemistry when I started taking this course.  I definitely think that the more I learn, I realize that I really knew very little in the first place.  I would describe green chemistry as the study of how to lessen the environmental impact of industrial and chemical processes.  Replacing materials with green-friendly alternatives and making reactions as efficient as possible is something that green chemistry is all about.
One principle of green chemistry is about finding safer solvents, and I learned a lot about this, particularly during writing blogs.  So many materials that have been traditionally the go-to things that were sought after are so bad for our environment.  Another problem with that is that they are also in short supply, and we have the potential to create new resources that will not damage the environment to replace them.  So many green alternatives are also far more cost-efficient than their counterparts.  Another principle that ties into this is the one that involves the search for renewable feedstocks.  I also have a much better understanding of the prevention principle too.  That one is all about reducing waste from being produced than figuring out what to do with it after it has already been created.
Some things that will stick with me are the real-life applications of this that are really beneficial.  I still remember the example about ibuprofen that was discussed early on in the course, and how green chemists were able to greatly reduce the amount of waste obtained during the production process.

Renewable Feedstock

Finding alternatives for traditional, nonrenewable feedstocks has become more necessary recently.  Traditionally, a great deal of the feedstocks used were petroleum-based, and this has posed a problem because it is a resource that is not in unlimited supply.  Finding possible alternative, renewable feedstocks provide many benefits.  It could end the dependence upon foreign oil, and if we are able to find something that we can produce in this country, it could be a serious boost to the economy if we were able to create an entire new industry out of this.
One example of a renewable feedstock that has become very popular over the past few years is corn.  Corn is used in ethanol, which is an alternative fuel.  Ethanol is more efficient than gasoline, cheaper to produce, and can be used in any engine.  All of these make it something that should become much more popular in upcoming years.  Ethanol also does not have the potential to cause health problems like gasoline does, and has even been endorsed by the American Lung Association as a green alternative to gasoline.  Awareness of such problems with nonrenewable resources should also be spread because as much progress as has been made on green issues in the past few years, public awareness of exactly how much of a problem we have is still a bit lacking.