Mon, 4/20/26 at 7:30 PM ET | Talk with Judith Enck & Susan Arbetter at the NYS Writers Institute at SUNY Albany
WHAT: Join Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics for a conversation with ‘Capital Tonight’ host, Susan Arbetter to learn more about “The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late.”
WHEN: April 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM ET US
WHERE: The NYS Writers Institute
The University at Albany
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12222 (map)
This event is free and open to all!
Plastic is everywhere — wrapped around our food, stitched into our clothes, even coursing through our veins. What began as a marvel of modern science has become a toxic industry that is harming our health, polluting our planet, and driving climate change. According to a recent report in The Lancet, the world is in a plastics crisis, causing disease and death from infancy to old age, and covering the planet with 8 billion tons of plastic waste. Without bold new laws, these problems will only worsen. Plastic production has increased exponentially since single-use plastic’s start, from 2 million tons per year in 1950 to 450 million tons per year today. And production is expected to triple by 2060. Given that less than 6% of plastic is actually recycled in the United States, all that plastic will continue to harm us, our communities, and our environment.
The good news is there’s still time to turn off the tap and live in a world without pointless plastic. That’s the hopeful message at the heart of the new book, “The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late” from The New Press by Judith Enck and Beyond Plastics with Adam Mahoney.
You don’t need to read the book before the webinar, but it will be a better experience if you do!
The plastic pollution crisis is massive, systemic, and urgent. But “The Problem with Plastic” offers hope: We, collectively, have the power and influence to effectively slow the production of plastic. Plastic pollution is not inevitable; it’s the result of choices made by businesses, governments, and, to a lesser extent, everyday people. By equipping people with knowledge, hope, and an arsenal of solutions, we can put people and the planet before plastic, and save ourselves while there’s still time.
Join co-author Judith Enck and Susan Arbetter, host of ‘Capital Tonight’ on Spectrum News at the NYS Writers Institute at SUNY Albany on Monday, April 20 at 7:30 PM for to learn more about the plastic pollution crisis and the solutions outlined in this bold new book.
About Our Speakers
Judith Enck is the founder and president of Beyond Plastics, whose mission is to end plastic pollution everywhere. She was appointed by President Obama to serve as regional administrator in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 and served as deputy secretary for the environment in the New York Governor’s Office. She is currently a professor at Bennington College.
Susan Arbetter is the host of ‘Capital Tonight’ on Spectrum News. Susan is a veteran political journalist with a long list of accolades, including her induction into the Women’s Press Club of New York Hall of Fame. The stories that stick out to her are some of the most debated issues in recent New York history, and ones that have had a great impact on upstate New Yorkers. Those include the history of the PCB clean-up of the Hudson River; the impact of hydrofracking from the perspective of families who live among the wells; and a deep dive into the many faces of poverty in Central New York.