Speaking Requests

We love public speaking! Due to busy schedules, our staff are not always able to fulfill speaking requests, but, fortunately, we have a talented bench of well-informed, trained volunteers who are ready to step in when we can't. You can learn more about our volunteer speakers below. Please fill out the fields at the right to share the details of your request with us and we will get back to you soon.

VOLUNTEER SPEAKERS BUREAU

Beyond Plastics has a deep bench of dedicated volunteers who are highly educated about the plastics crisis and ready to speak to your organization about it.

All of our speakers have taken Judith Enck’s course on plastic pollution and passed a seven-week speaker’s training. They are passionately engaged with the issue and keep up with new developments. They come from many walks of life and most have expertise on related subjects, from ecology to microplastics research to public health policy. Read more about these fabulous speakers below and be sure to let us know if you’d specifically like to request one of them when you fill out the form on the right to share the details of your request with us.

Featured

Jacquelyn Casazza

Jacquelyn Casazza is the president and co-founder of Go Green Glen Ellyn, a community nonprofit with a mission to help residents and businesses be greener through education, advocacy, and volunteering. She is a Village of Glen Ellyn Environmental Commissioner, sits on the Glen Ellyn Park District Resident Environmental Advisory Board, and serves as an Issue Specialist on Waste for the League of Women Voters Illinois.

Christy Rupp

Christy Rupp is a conceptual artist and citizen scientist, who creates work informed by the study of animal behavior and habitat. Since the late 70's she has examined the relationship of waste and environment through the study of the waste stream. She lives in New York City and the Hudson Valley.

Carol Smolenski

Carol is a long-time activist on social issues who decided to become active on plastics after encountering mountains of trash on her frequent waterfront walks. She is retired and lives in Brooklyn.

Deb Weltsch

Deb is a retired Reference Librarian with a deep love and respect for the natural world. She previously served as Environmental Commissioner for the Town of Rosendale and is Vice President of the Board for the John Burroughs Natural History Society.

Jim Sullivan

Jim is a retired Spanish teacher in Rosendale, NY, and a longtime environmental advocate. Jim has an MA in Spanish from Middlebury College and remains active in both community and school organizations.

Deborah Burns

Deborah recently retired after a 30-year career as a book editor, where her focus was on nature, ecology, and the environment. She is a writer, historian, musician, and painter and has lived and traveled all over the world. She is located in the northwest
corner of Massachusetts, where she is a member of the Hoosic River Watershed Association.

Andrea LaCroix

Andrea has been interested in trash and recycling for as long as she can remember. She has served on her town’s Waste Reduction Committee for the past 10 years and is active in community events promoting sustainability. She lives in Ipswich, MA.

Eve Schaub

Eve Schaub is an internationally published author and humorist whose latest book, Year of No Garbage, tackles her most difficult challenge to date: garbage.

Suzette Munley

Suzette Munley’s 20+ years as a restaurateur have given her a front-row view of the growing presence of plastic in the hospitality industry. She serves as Board President of the Center City Business Association as well as on the Board of PennFuture working to transition Pennsylvania to a clean energy economy and is a certified Climate Reality Leader. Suzette lives in Philadelphia, PA.

Rebekah Creshkoff

Rebekah Creshkoff is a wordsmith and former corporate communications expert who started the NYC Audubon project to reduce bird collisions known as Project Safe Flight in the late 90’s. She is passionate about reducing both carbon emissions and plastic pollution and lives in Sullivan County, NY.

Christina Cilento

Christina is a dedicated environmental advocate with experience working on climate change, clean energy, natural resource management, and waste-related issues. She is located in Washington, DC.

Kim Cameron

Kim Cameron holds a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology (2001) and has taught biology courses at SUNY Cortland and worked as a research scientist at Cornell University. She is located in upstate New York.

Dana Ripper

Dana Ripper is the Executive Director of the Missouri River Bird Observatory whose work includes a major focus on the systemic reduction of single-use plastics. She is located in Missouri.

David Sayer

David is a charter member of the Beyond Plastics Alum Network and maintains educational and activist resources on the Beyond Plastics wiki. He is based in upstate New York.

Eileen Ryan

Eileen is an activist who volunteers her time for climate and social justice causes. She helped to write and pass the single-use plastic ban in her city. She is located in Watertown, MA.

Kathy Raiz

Since attending Judith Enck’s class on plastic pollution, Kathy is eager to educate people about the negative impact that plastic has on the environment and personal health, while encouraging citizens to take an active role in reducing plastic production and consumption. She is located in Needham, MA.

Macy Gustavus

Macy is a Masters student and microplastics researcher at Utah State University whose work focuses on the transport of microplastics and current gaps in the proposed microplastics cycle. She is located in Utah.

Rachana Shah

Rachana is a Zero Waste Consultant at Aspire to Zero who is passionate about climate action, environmental justice and plastic pollution. She is located in Queens, NY.

Youpa Stein

Youpa is a visual artist and concerned citizen who dedicates her art and advocacy work to the service of the care of the Earth. She is located in Montana.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR REQUEST

Name

First Name

Last Name

Phone

(###)

###

####

Organization

Event or other purpose you want a speaker for (please provide link to more info if available)

Date of your event, if known

YYYY

Time of your event, if known

Hour

Minute

Second

Speaking location, if in-person

Specific Speaker Request

Would you like to request a specific speaker?

Beyond Plastics is a small non-profit and we request a speaker's fee for any events we commit to. Our recommended minimum donation is $250. Please specify the amount or range that you have budgeted for the speaker's fee for this event.

Roughly how large an audience do you think you can gather?

One of our goals is raising awareness about plastic pollution as broadly as possible. Can you invite the media to this event?

Yes

Maybe

Please share any details about your media reach below.

Will you promote this event via your website and social media presences?

Yes

Please share your website URL and any social media handles below.

Are you willing to either share the names and emails of event participants/registrants with Beyond Plastics or to send a dedicated email provided by Beyond Plastics to them after the event?

Yes

How did you hear about Beyond Plastics?

Anything else you'd like us to know?