What's New

Governor's green chemistry initiative draws praise from UO leadership

EUGENE, Ore. — (April 27, 2012) — The nation's first college courses and textbook devoted to environmentally friendly green chemistry took root at the University of Oregon. Now green chemistry's goal to reduce toxicity in product development is poised to blossom as a state-preferred technology under the governor's Green Chemistry Innovation Initiative.



Gov. John Kitzhaber signed an executive order in Portland on Friday to launch the initiative. Read more...

Green Cleaning Products Working Group Established

In January 2011, the GPDN facilitated a partnership between UO Campus Operations and chemistry graduate students to create a greener and healthier campus for all UO students, faculty and staff.

After identifying hazards and comparing products the students are now developing a chemicals management policy...Read more

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Welcome!

Join our collaboration network to invent sustainable products!
Click the “Sign Up” link on the right, or contact Julie A. Haack for more information. Students, faculty, staff, and business leaders interested in actively participating are all welcome to join now.

Who Are We?
The Green Product Design Network (GPDN) began with a group of leaders from the University of Oregon with expertise in green chemistry, product design, business and journalism and communication with an interest in inventing sustainable products that can be readily adopted and marketed to our larger society. The goal is to take ideas from invention to the marketplace in a way that has a more expedient and lasting impact on society.

The Green Product Design Network–in accordance with the University of Oregon’s emerging academic plan, and “Big Ideas”–has been selected as one of five key projects that the University of Oregon (UO) is supporting and highlighting as a major strategic initiative for the UO.


What is the Problem We Want to Solve?
Society is confronting challenges related to our dwindling resource base, climate change, chemical contaminants, the viability and success of our financial markets, and the emergence of new technologies. The best solutions to these problems will come from research cutting across many disciplines and from the creation of tailored, multidisciplinary education programs for our students. This is the aim of the GPDN.

We need a different approach to product design.

Our Strategy: Develop a “Network”
A network is inclusive and it taps the potential of the wide range of scholars needed to tackle these large challenges and allows for broader participation than typical Center and Institute structures. In addition, a network structure facilitates open participation from external strategic partners including those from industry, government, and NGOs. Networks are flexible and nimble, even at large scale – there is minimal fixed infrastructure and participation can define membership while project leadership can easily change as focus shifts.


Our Vision: Enhance Synergies to Impact the “Triple Bottom Line:” People, Planet, and Profit
Inventing and marketing profitable products that truly are green from the get-go requires a broad interdisciplinary approach—and the UO is uniquely equipped to provide it. The GPDN provides a unifying theme to leverage strengths in the arts and sciences, architecture and allied arts, business, journalism, and law to provide a systems approach to:

• Improve understanding about how new products affect the environment, our economic structures, and society.

• Invent greener products, materials, and chemicals.

• Discover the best business models and practices to deliver these innovations to society.

• Create meaningful educational programs for current and future generations.

The strength of this strategy is that it will enhance synergies between the three pillars of the "triple bottom line:" people, planet, and profit.

For more information, please contact Julie A. Haack.