During the October webinar, we will be focusing on the connection between the plastic pollution crisis and environmental injustice around the world, where economically disadvantaged nations take in a larger share of the world’s trash, and manufacturing chemicals threaten predominantly Black and low-income communities.  

We will be joined by journalist Erica Cirino, author of a new book, Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis; Dr. Kerim Odekon, who is affiliated with a community group in Long Island, New York, that is fighting a landfill project; and Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu, a microplastics researcher and environmental justice advocate in Turkey.

• Erica Cirino, author of a new book, Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis
• Dr. Kerim Odekon, who is affiliated with a community group in Long Island, New York, that is fighting a landfill project
• Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu, a microplastics researcher and environmental justice advocate in Turkey

In Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis, journalist Erica Cirino brings readers on a globe-hopping journey to meet the scientists and activists telling the real story of the plastic crisis. From the deck of a plastic-hunting sailboat with a disabled engine, to the labs doing cutting-edge research on microplastics and the chemicals we ingest, Cirino paints a full picture of how plastic pollution is threatening wildlife and human health. Thicker Than Water reveals that the plastic crisis is also a tale of environmental justice, as poorer nations take in a larger share of the world’s trash, and manufacturing chemicals threaten predominantly black and low-income communities.

This is an in-person event and will take place at the library. Registration required. Limited to 25.

"A ground-breaking work of journalism and essential reading for those eager to understand the enormous impact plastic has on our planet."

Join science writer, author, and artist Erica Cirino for a book discussion & signing at the beautiful Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport, NY! Cirino’s book, Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis is a ground-breaking work of journalism and essential reading for those eager to understand the enormous impact plastic has on our planet—and people.

Members are free. Non-members $10.00.

Wednesday, April 6 @ 6:00pm EST -- Thicker than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastics Crisis 

Erica Cirino, Science writer and artist; author of Thicker than Water

Co-Sponsors: Bucks County Audubon Society and Heritage Conservancy

Erica Cirino, author of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis will discuss her book and conduct a book signing in-person at the Huntington Public Library.

Plastic is everywhere--it's in our food containers, keyboards, glasses, even our toothbrushes. It's lightweight, versatile, and so cheap that we often forget how much it permeates our lives. But our relationship with plastic is not a healthy one, and our worldwide reliance on it is affecting our planet and our bodies.

Author Erica Cirino has traveled across land and sea to reveal the true depths of the plastic crisis, which she details in her recent book, Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis (published by Island Press in October 2021). In Thicker Than Water, Erica documents plastic across ecosystems and elements; shares stories from the primarily Black, brown, Indigenous and rural communities that are disproportionally harmed by industrial pollution globally; and uncovers strategies that work to prevent plastic from causing further devastation to our planet and its inhabitants.

Erica also works as a science writer and artist exploring the intersection of the human and nonhuman worlds. Her widely published photojournalistic works depict the numerous ways people connect to nature—wild creatures in particular—and shape planet Earth. She lives with her rescued street dog, Sabi, on and between two shores, Long Island and Connecticut.

Program will be held in the Ames Room of the library. Registration is required to attend this program. Space is limited. Masks must be worn at all times. Please notify the library if you register and are unable to attend.

A book talk of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis by Erica Cirino

Much of what you’ve heard about plastic pollution may be wrong. Instead of a great island of trash, the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of manmade debris spread over hundreds of miles of sea—more like a soup than a floating garbage dump. And, plastic pollution isn’t confined to the open ocean: it’s in much of the air we breathe and the food we eat. In Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis, journalist Erica Cirino brings readers on a globe-hopping journey to meet the scientists and activists telling the real story of the plastic crisis. From the deck of a plastic-hunting sailboat with a disabled engine, to the labs doing cuttingedge research on microplastics and the chemicals we ingest, Cirino paints a full picture of how plastic pollution is threatening wildlife and human health. Thicker Than Water reveals that the plastic crisis is also a tale of environmental injustice, as poorer nations take in a larger share of the world’s trash, and manufacturing chemicals threaten predominantly Black and low-income communities

February is Black History Month in the U.S., and despite major social justice wins over the last few decades, systemic racial and class injustices unfortunately continue to impact the lives of historically underserved groups. The serious consequences are clear: In the U.S., low-income, rural, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are disproportionately subject to and harmed by polluted air, waters, and soils from industrial infrastructure and activities. 

Join us on February 15 for our webinar From the Frontline: Petrochemicals, Plastics, and Cancer Alley. During this event, hear from frontline activists from communities of color across America’s industrial plastic and petrochemical corridors, who will discuss how they are taking action to protect themselves and their neighbors from pollution and injustice—and how you can, too. 

Our panelists for this important conversation include “The Father of Environmental Justice” Dr. Robert Bullard; RISE St. James Louisiana Executive Assistant Shamyra Lavigne; and Founder & CEO of Hip Hop Caucus, Reverend Lennox Yearwood. The conversation will be moderated by Plastic Pollution Coalition Communications Manager, Erica Cirino, author of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis.