School Notes: School of the Environment
January/February 2022

Professor wins prestigious Volvo Prize

Paul Anastas, Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment, was awarded the 2021 Volvo Environment Prize for his outstanding scientific discoveries within the area of the environment and sustainable development. Anastas, who is known as the “father of green chemistry,” is the director of YSE’s Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, which seeks practical, innovative solutions to sustainability challenges while simultaneously meeting social, economic, and environmental goals. Anastas has served at the US Environmental Protection Agency and was assistant director for the environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 1999 to 2004. (For a Yale Alumni Magazine report, see Milestones.)

Recent grads create soil health guide

Darya Watnick ’21MEM and Abbey Warner ’21MEM have authored an innovative guide, Soil Health Policy: Developing Community-Driven State Soil Health Policy and Programs, which they hope will provide practical advice for people interested in establishing programs to support agricultural producers implementing soil health practices. The duo interviewed dozens of practitioners and other experts in farming, climate adaptation, policymaking, sustainable investment, coalition-building, and related fields. The guide provides support for engaging policymakers, networking, outreach, policy writing, implementation, monitoring for soil-relevant outcomes, and funding this work. The guide was supported by the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, a student-led effort that aims to influence decision-making to support and invest in regenerative agricultural models.