'Green chemists' are not a bunch of oxymorons

The Register-Guard of Eugene, Ore., ran an informative guest column from James Hutchison, an associate professor of chemistry and director of the Materials Science Institute at the University of Oregon. "Political activists fail to recognize that nanoscale materials are nothing new. They exist naturally in the environment ..." Hutchison writes. His lab is heavily involved in "Green Chemistry," and if you think that's an inherent contradiction, take a look at some of his fascinating research and his 2001 article in Chemical & Engineering News, Nanoscience Turns Green (PDF). Discuss