Chemists Celebrate Earth Day: “Recycling – Chemistry Can!”

Newswise — Students across the country are invited to participate in two nationwide contests in observance of Earth Day, April 22. The contests are sponsored by the world's largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"Recycling - Chemistry Can!" is the Earth Day theme adopted by the ACS for the contests and the many community activities that the Society's Local Sections will hold in communities around the country.

Entries for the haiku and video contests must be received at ACS by April 10 to be considered. Check http://chemistry.org/earthday for details about the contests and other chemistry-related Earth Day activities.

One contest is for students in grades K-12 and involves haiku " very short, three-line poems written in 17 or fewer syllables. Students are invited to submit an illustrated haiku poem based on the theme "Recycling - Chemistry Can!" The poems should reflect some aspect of the chemistry of recycling, such as processes or uses for recycled materials.

The other contest is for college students who are invited to produce a video that best illustrates the chemistry recycling theme. Videos will be judged on originality, creativity and incorporation of the theme.

The contests are part of a special community-based ACS program, Chemists Celebrate Earth Day (CCED), that unites ACS local section, businesses, schools and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to the quality of life.

Among other Earth Day activities planned this spring by many of the 189 ACS Local Sections across the nation are organizing collection sites for recyclable materials at local malls, coordinating community park beautification and recycling projects, and sponsoring drop-off days for electronic recyclables or batteries.

The American Chemical Society — the world's largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.