Since 2000, new conceptual, procedural and attitudinal contents on sustainability and green chemistry for the undergraduate chemistry courses at the Federal University of Saõ Carlos (UFSCar), Saõ Paulo state, Brazil, have been designed and applied. All teaching modules are based on investigative and problem-based case studies, emphasizing socio-scientific Brazilian issues that can be extrapolated abroad (e.g., sustainable agriculture, biorefineries, green formulations, bio-rational control of plagues and metrics). The modules encompass lectures, seminars, laboratory work and projects, integrating green chemistry and socio-environmental technologies in Brazil. Bringing together academic, industrial, governmental and social dimensions-considering agro-resilience, adding value to by-(co)-products over some supply chains-the teaching experiences have been contributing to develop a new understanding of the role of chemistry in the context of the bioeconomy at and beyond universities. Moreover, the socio-construction of knowledge is radically committed to critical thinking and actions towards socio-eco-justice and sustainability. This work presents an alternative green experiment to the synthesis of methyl salicylate by esterification with microwave irradiation for a 1^styear undergraduate course in chemistry at UFSCar based on critical theory referential. The pedagogical module started with an introductory lecture on an alternative repellent to Boophilus microplus larvae, a Brazilian socio-scientific problem. In addition, the practice was reviewed using a holistic metric known as green star (GS), which allows a quick assessment of the greenness of a chemical reaction or process based on the 12 principles of green chemistry.