Hey, this is Climate to Action, a California
State University San Marcos student podcast.
We're here to amplify voices and empower solutions
in the fight against climate change and to address
climate justice for all living things. We are
committed to incorporating discussions on indigenous
knowledge in addressing the climate crisis and
to providing a call to action in every episode.
My name is Eldon. I'm the production engineer
at Climate to Action. And I'm excited to share
more discussions that will make you think about
our world, climate action, and climate justice.
First, we'd like to acknowledge that our recording
studio is located on traditional territory of
the Luceño -Payamkawichan people. CSUSM and its
surrounding area are still home to the six federally
recognized bands of the La Jolla, Paula, Palma,
Pechanga, Rincon, and Cebu -Luceño -Payamkawichan
people. It is also important to acknowledge that
this land remains a shared space among the Kupeno,
Kumeyaay, and Epi peoples. Today we have a special
episode. This is an excerpt taken from our Climate
Change 101 episode with CSUSM chemistry professor
Dr. Hale Keshkar, who is an expert in green chemistry.
This bonus episode will focus on knowledge she
shared on that subject. So without further ado,
let's hear what Dr. Keshkar had to say. something
about green chemistry. Can you explain what green
chemistry is for our guests? Yes. Well, you know,
everything around us involves chemistry. As you
and I are talking, there's chemistry going on
in our bodies. Chemistry is in our natural systems
everywhere. Chemistry is a big part of our industry.
Without chemistry, we would not have the industries,
everything that we use as we have them. humanity
would not be able to have everything that we
have today without chemistry. So chemists have
done a lot of good for us, for humanity. But
so far, the focus on chemistry and what we wanted
to do with it was on economic development and
some human development. Green chemistry is looking
at chemistry with a sustainability lens. So what
is sustainability? Sustainability, as you might
know, has three pillars. Economic development,
societal development, and protecting the environment.
So that protecting the environment was pretty
much what was missing before. did not really
focus on the fact that everything that we do
has an impact on the environment. So sustainability
basically acknowledges that we humans are part
of the environment. We are part of what we call
biosphere, living part of our environment. We
need the environment for everything we do, from
the food we consume, from the food that we produce,
all the way to everything that you and I have
today, from your phone to clothes you're wearing,
desk you're using, the chair you're sitting on,
everything. has some elements that come from
the environment. The raw material comes from
the environment. So we need the environment for
everything we do. And then from the other side,
everything we do has some impact on the environment.
From breathing, living, eating. Our waste, all
the way to everything we do in industry has some
environmental impact. And again, we need that
environment for our lives to thrive. So sustainability
is allowing us or helping us acknowledge that
protecting the environment means protecting ourselves.
And in order to protect ourselves and guarantee
that our future generations can also have the
quality of life that we have, and we can have
a just society, all of that means that we need
to protect the environment. All the resources
that we need come from the environment. So green
chemistry basically... helps us design chemistry
and do chemistry again with acknowledging that
we need the environment and we need to protect
the environment and how can we protect the environment
we have to reduce our impact on the environment
and how can we reduce the impact Again, how can
we design any chemistry we do in industry or
in other aspects of our lives to reduce our human
impact on the environment and reduce the hazard?
Anything that can harm us and the environment,
other species, other living beings. Because again,
we know that this all comes back to us. At some
point, we or our future generations or people
on the other side of the world need to use the
environment that we're impacting. And when it
comes to using it and using resources or basically...
When I say resources, I mean anything from air,
from water, energy. We get our energy also from
the environment. So all of those, we need to
have our environment at its best so that it can
serve us. So green chemistry is same chemistry,
but with the focus. on protecting the environment,
using chemistry for a just society, and sustainability.
Thank you for clarifying that. I hope our listeners
got a quick glimpse of that. Hey, Eldon again.
I hope this excerpt from our conversation shed
some light on a subject you may not have known
about. The climate crisis is worsening as we
speak and discussions on the climate are needed
more than ever. Climate to Action is dedicated
to hosting more discussions like this one. Look
out for more unfiltered honesty on the climate
crisis. Our call to action for this episode is
to talk to a friend about what you've learned
and think about how your studies or career relates
to the environment also. Climate to Action is
recorded at Inspiration Studios on the California
State University San Marcos campus. This podcast
is supported by a generous donation from the
Rosemary Kramer Raitt Foundation. Want to hear
more from Climate to Action, a CSUSM student
podcast? Follow us on our socials at Climate
to Action. Visit for updates, behind -the -scenes
content, and more. Until next time, this is Eldon
from Climate to Action, signing off.