The Problem With Plastics Community Read Launch

Free launch of community book read of “The Problem With Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves & Our Planet Before It’s Too Late” on February 3 at 6:30 pm at Putney Public Library
The Putney Public Library and the local Beyond Plastics affiliate group Third Act Windham/Windsor is hosting the launch of a community read of The Problem With Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves & Our Planet Before It’s Too Late on Tuesday, February 3, 6:30 pm at the library, with speakers Christina Dubin, Beyond Plastics, and Eileen Ryan, Beyond Plastics Greater Boston. The library has multiple copies of the book available for checkout to Putney Library cardholders. All are invited to a facilitated community discussion of the book on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 pm. These events are free and open to the public.
Christina Dubin joined the Beyond Plastics team to support and grow the grassroots groups network. She currently supports fundraising and major gift efforts for the organization. Christina lives in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, where she led the first reusable takeout container pilot in the state.
Eileen Ryan is a climate and social justice activist, the leader of Beyond Plastics Greater Boston and a trained public speaker on plastic pollution, educating people about the perils of plastics. She lives in Watertown, Mass and is on the steering committee of Plastic Free Mass.
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. 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 (December 2, 2025, The New Press) by Judith Enck and Beyond Plastics with Adam Mahoney.
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.
In the event of cancellation due to weather, the community book read launch will take place Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6:30 pm at the Putney Public Library.
After the community read, the Putney Public Library can loan multiple copies of the book to other libraries who would like to do a community read. Contact Emily Zervas at Putney Public Library at 802-387-4407 for more information.
Putney Public Library is located at 55 Main St. in Putney, VT. This event is free and open to the public.