Weds, 1/21/26 at 7:00 PM | Book Talk with Johnathan Berard and Megan Hamlin-Black at Riffraff in Providence, RI
Join Beyond Plastics Policy Director, Johnathan Berard in conversation with Megan Hamlin-Black, former RI State Librarian to learn about Beyond Plastics’ new book, “The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves & Our Planet Before It’s Too Late.”
WHERE: Riffraff Bookstore, 60 Valley Street Unit 107A (in the courtyard), Providence, RI 02909
WHEN: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Riffraff is located at The Plant, a former mill situated on the corner of Valley and Delaine in Olneyville, just a short walk from Olneyville Square, and there are several bike racks on the property. There are three parking lots available for The Plant: the main parking lot within The Plant, accessed from Delaine (often full during weekdays); on the southeast corner of the intersection, also accessed from Delaine; and the northwest corner of the intersection, accessed from Valley Street. The 17, 27, and 28 buses from Kennedy Plaza will all bring you to Olneyville Square, and from there it's about a 5 minute walk to Riffraff.
Plastic is everywhere--wrapped around our food, stitched into our clothes, even coursing through our veins. Once a marvel of modern science, plastic has become so inextricably woven into our lives that imagining a world without it can seem impossible. Over the last seventy-five years, plastic has cradled our planet in a synthetic embrace.
The Problem with Plastic critically examines the paradox of this material, first celebrated for its innovations and now recognized for its devastating environmental and public health impacts. With clarity and urgency, the book reveals how plastic pollution contributes to poisoned oceans, polluted air, a warming planet, and overwhelming waste, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities who bear the brunt of petrochemical pollution.
Revealing the alarming extent of microplastics infiltrating both the natural world and the human body, this compelling narrative challenges the illusion that recycling alone will save us. It unpacks the mechanisms of environmental racism and the deceptive greenwashing strategies used by the plastics industry to maintain the status quo.
More than a critique, The Problem with Plastic emphasizes the urgent need for action against plastic's toxic legacy. It higlights 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.