The 2012 "Olympic" Gordon Research Conference on Green Chemistry will present cutting-edge research and the most important advances relevant to environmentally benign and sustainable chemistry and chemical processing. The key scientific sessions are of major interest to both industry and academia and will be focused on designing greener chemicals, greener approaches to organic synthesis, catalysis and biocatalysis, polymers and materials, bio-inspired materials, energy and fuels, and also to assessing our progress toward a sustainable future. The conference will bring together an outstanding and diverse group of scientists and is particularly important because the outputs of Green Chemistry research are now driving innovation in both academia and industry and are proving to be key measures of competitiveness in major industries. Moreover, this is one of the few areas of chemistry where the drive for novel research solutions in academia is equaled by activities in industry. All of this makes the Gordon Research Conference on Green Chemistry the perfect forum for younger scientists and students to meet and interact with leaders in the field. This is a lively and inclusive conference with opportunities for all participants to contribute through discussions; informal brainstorming sessions; and for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format with some poster presenters to be selected to give short talks.