JOEL TICKNER is trying to build a greener future one molecule at a time. Dr. Tickner directs the chemicals science and policy program at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. The center researches and promotes environmentally sound chemicals policy and production.

When he’s not teaching, Dr. Tickner may be darting off to Washington, New York, Montreal and cities in Europe to speak with legislators, regulators and executives about making safer, more competitive products. He also works with chemists in the industry and at Lowell to help them think about designing environmentally benign chemicals.

“We’re at a turning point,” Dr. Tickner said. “Companies and states are taking leadership where the federal government isn’t.” He spoke to a reporter before flying to Pittsburgh to speak to executives at Bayer’s United States headquarters about European and American chemicals policies. “It’s not about banning chemicals one by one, but about thinking more holistically about how we use chemicals in the design process itself.”

This approach is the core of green chemistry, which tries to eliminate waste, use renewable or environmentally benign materials and avoid relying on toxic reagents and solvents when designing chemical products.