The grant, funded by President Joe Biden's Bipartisan infrastructure Law, will expand Berkeley's Greener Solutions Project. It is a project-based class that partners students with companies and organizations interested in adopting sustainable chemistry, with a focus on commercial products used by underserved communities.
In this new undergraduate course, students will work with cosmetic companies, including L'Oreal and COTY, to look into how harmful hair products have specifically targeted Black women.
Megan Arnett, executive director of the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, told EPA that, "The industry partner walks away with customized, actionable recommendations for making their product safer for consumers and the environment."
The US produces billions of pounds of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars annually to control this pollution. The EPA says preventing pollution at the source is essential for protecting health, improving environmental conditions, and preserving natural resources in critical ecosystems.