ABSTRACT
Some of the previous discussions have covered ways of reducing pollution by prevention. This is often cheaper than putting something at the end of the pipe or at the top of the smokestack. For example, substitution of an aqueous cleaning process for one using trichloroethylene means that no solvent has to be purchased, recycled, or disposed of. No solvent emissions result from the new process, and none can be spilled and seep into the groundwater. The used water can be treated on site or at the local wastewater treatment plant. Processes that will help society attain a sustainable future have also been discussed. According to Ed Wasserman, President of the American Chemical Society for 1999, “Green chemistry is effective, profitable and it is the right thing to do for our health and that of our planet.”1 The problem is that companies and ordinary citizens have been slow to adopt these new processes.2 This chapter will explore what role money plays in this and what other social and political factors may be involved in the development of new policies.
