“Plastic is not just a waste and oceans issue, a climate change issue, an environmental justice issue—it’s also a public health issue. And the only way to stop plastic pollution is to stop plastic production. We need policy that holds industry accountable to accomplish that,” said Rev. Kathryn Beilke at a workshop co-hosted by the Center for Earth Ethics and Beyond Plastics at Union Theological Seminary on March 4.
The workshop, organized with the help of Union’s Eco-Justice Caucus and the Mainline Protestants Club, brought together students, activists, faith leaders and community members to examine the environmental and social impacts of plastics waste.
Rev. Beilke, development manager at Beyond Plastics, led a powerful discussion on the urgency of the plastics crisis. Beyond Plastics, an advocacy organization dedicated to ending plastic pollution, works to raise awareness and drive policy change. She outlined plastic’s historical rise, noting that since World War II, plastic waste has skyrocketed. “From 1950 to 2019, companies have produced 8.3 billion tons of plastic,” she said. Since then, we have seen an “onslaught of production and plastics incursion into literally every aspect of our lives.”