Weds, 1/21/26 at 7pm ET | The Problem with Plastic by Judith Enck: an Author Talk
WHAT: Join a virtual conversation between Food & Water Watch Founder and Executive Director Wenonah Hauter and Judith Enck, author of The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET
WHERE: Virtual
REGISTER: https://www.mobilize.us/fww/event/833903
The Problem with Plastic examines this material, first celebrated for its innovation and now recognized for its devastating environmental and public health impacts. This compelling narrative reveals how plastic pollution contributes to poisoned oceans, polluted air, a warming planet, and overwhelming waste, particularly affecting marginalized communities, which bear the brunt of petrochemical pollution. The book highlights the pervasive presence of microplastics in the environment and the human body, challenging the belief that recycling can solve the crisis.
More than a critique, The Problem with Plastic emphasizes the urgent need for action against plastic’s toxic legacy. It highlights powerful stories of frontline resistance in places like Louisiana, Texas, and Appalachia, and equips readers with practical tools — including a “Household Waste Audit” to track and reduce plastic consumption, as well as model policy guides for driving legislative change.
Urgent, eye-opening, and ultimately empowering, The Problem with Plastic reminds us: plastic is a problem — but together, we can be the solution.
Judith Enck is the founder and president of Beyond Plastics, whose goal is to eliminate plastic pollution everywhere. In 2009, she was appointed by President Obama to serve as regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and served as Deputy Secretary for the Environment in the New York Governor’s Office. She is currently a professor at Bennigton College, where she teaches classes on plastic pollution.