GreenBlue is pleased to announce Ruth Maust has joined the team as a Project Manager with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.

What inspired you to work in the sustainability field?

I have always loved nature and cared about the environment, but I became more interested in and passionate about sustainability as a field during my education as a chemist. Nature is the most amazing chemist, offering so much inspiration for sustainable chemistry! For instance, nature produces incredibly complex molecules and materials, corrects for mistakes, takes advantage of diversity, and does all this in a benign solvent (water) without producing any waste. These areas remain huge challenges for human chemists, but I believe these challenges are worth the effort.

What do you hope to achieve at GreenBlue?

To many people, the words “chemicals” and “plastics” carry negative connotations. I envision a future where this perception is no longer relevant because we have collectively decided not to accept that everyday products may expose us to chemical hazards or that use of plastic means generation of plastic waste. In service of this long-term societal shift, my goals at GreenBlue are to identify instances where human health, environmental, and business priorities already align, to promote action, to find common ground among different people around emerging technologies and topics, and to amplify leaders in thoughtful, effective materials management.

What do you do in your spare time?

I love to read, hike, dance, go to cultural events, and see and make art!

Happiness is…

Spending time with family and friends, appreciating the present moment, feeling wonder and awe at this beautiful Earth.