Ken Geiser
Dr. Kenneth Geiser is a Professor Emeritus of Work Environment and past Distinguish University Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. At the University he taught various policy courses in the Department of Work Environment, chaired the University Committee of Federated Centers and Institutes, co-chaired the Faculty Development Committee, served in the Faculty Senate, and acted as Special Assistant to the Provost for Research.
Center Development. Dr. Geiser is one of the authors of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act of 1989 and served as Director of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute from its founding in 1990 to 2003. He is a founder of the Center for Environmentally Appropriate Materials and founder and past Co-Director of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University.
Research. His research and writing focus on cleaner production, pollution prevention, toxic chemicals management, international chemicals policy, safer technologies, and green chemistry. In 2001, he completed a book, Materials Matter: Towards a Sustainable Materials Policy and, in 2015, a second book, Chemicals without Harm, Policies for a Sustainable World, both published by MIT Press. Dr. Geiser is one of the primary author’s of the United Nation’s Environment Program’s Global Chemicals Outlook and has served as a Project Co-odinator for the United Nations Environment Program’s Chemicals in Products Project.
Service. As a recognized expert on environmental and occupational health policy, Dr. Geiser has served on various advisory committees for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency including the Agency’s Common Sense Initiative, Forum on State and Tribal Action, Chemical Information Management Subcommittee, National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and various National Advisory Committee on Environment and Technology workgroups. He has participated on advisory panels for the states of Massachusetts, New York and California, the Province of Ontario and the United Nations Environment Program’s Cleaner Proction Program. He is one of the founders of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable and the Inistate Chemicals Clearinghouse and has served on the governing boards of several environmental organizations including Greenpeace and the International POPs Elimination Network. He is a founding Board member of the National Toxics Campaign, the Environmental Health Strategy Center, the Healthy Building Network, the Campaign for Responsible Technologies, and Story of Stuff and he is currently the Chair of the Board of both Clean Production Action and Coming Clean. He has served as a Co-Chair of California’s Green Ribbon Science Panel and a Senior Fellow with the U.S. Green Building Council.
Awards. Dr Geiser has been honored with awards from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition,and the Environmental Health Strategy Center, and Life Time Achievement Awards by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Water Action.
Dr. Geiser lives in Somerville, Massachusetts and maintains a farm in the hills of Maine.