Only residents of New York State will be able to take action during this Action Party. Thank you for your understanding!
New York- we have an opportunity to pass one of the boldest plastic-waste reduction bills in the country: the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S1464/A1749)! Last week with your help, the bill passed in the Senate, and now it needs to pass in the Assembly!
Each year, New Yorkers throw out nearly 10 billion pounds of packaging waste, and much of it ends up in incinerators, landfills, or floating in our waterways. Taxpayers foot the bill while Big Plastic keeps cashing in. Now, we’re closer than ever to passing this groundbreaking bill and flipping that script! The bill would:
Cut plastic packaging waste by 30% over 12 years
Ban toxic chemicals like PFAS, phthalates & heavy metals
Require packaging to be effectively recycled, reused, or refilled
Block “chemical recycling” scams
Make corporations- not our communities- pay for their mess
In this lunch hour Climate Action Party, you’ll learn about what's at stake with this landmark legislation directly from Alexis Goldsmith, the National Organizing Director for Beyond Plastic. And, you'll hear from two community leaders about their work to bring together faith communities to end plastic pollution.
You’ll also be invited to play a critical role in passing this bill by reaching out during the course of the hour to your state officials, using the free Climate Action Now app.
No experience necessary! Just bring your lunch, your phone or laptop, and your voice. We’ll bring you timely facts and help you make a difference. Let’s get this bill over the finish line before the NY session ends!
Click here to register and learn more about the Climate Action Now app.
About Our Featured Guests
Reverend Kathryn Beilke is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and served for a decade as Pastor of a progressive congregation, but the moral and spiritual urgency of our current ecological crises prompted her to leave the pulpit and dedicate herself to effective environmental solutions. Believing that state and local action can spark meaningful change, Rev. Beilke worked with municipalities navigating New York State’s Climate Smart Communities initiative before coming to Beyond Plastics.
Reverend Thia Reggio serves as pastor of The Second Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, and on the Advisory Board of the Center for Earth Ethics. After more than twenty years as a process and communications consultant to Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, Rev. Reggio heeded the call to seminary and the ministry, graduating from Union Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 2012 and a Master of Sacred Theology in Christianity in a Multi-Religious Context in 2013. Rev. Reggio is a seasoned community organizer and disaster response coordinator.
About Our Moderator
Alexis Goldsmith is the National Organizing Director for Beyond Plastics. She is a principle organizer on the New York is Not Disposable Campaign to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Bigger Better Bottle Bill. She lives in the New York Capital District with her husband, where they have a tree nursery.
About Our Action Parties
An Action Party is an online event that packs valuable information and concrete action into a 60-minute venue.
Each Action Party has an environment-related topic and features guests who are experts in that topic. We begin with a 10 minute presentation, followed by a panel discussion. Participants are invited to share questions for the panelists. Throughout the event, optional action-taking with the Climate Action Now app is available. The actions have been prepared in advance to help participants take the most impactful action in the shortest period of time. The party's moderator sets a goal for the number of actions to be taken and shows participants their progress towards that goal in real time with an online, automated goal tracker.
Action Parties are free and open to all who seek a more just and sustainable world, but we welcome donations to help us continue our mission of creating a just and liveable planet for all.
Click here to register and learn more about the Climate Action Now app.