Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is organizing a national forum on plastics in New Haven, scheduled for Thursday, September 26 and Friday, September 27. The event will gather attorneys general, academics, advocates, and industry experts to discuss environmental and health concerns related to plastics. The forum aims to foster understanding and collaboration on these issues and explore best practices and solutions.
The forum will feature panels on alternatives to plastics, human health and environmental impacts, as well as legislative and consumer initiatives addressing waste management. It is co-hosted by the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law.
Events will be held at the Hotel Marcel in New Haven. Press are invited to attend the second day of the forum on September 27. The first day's events are closed to press. Attorney General Tong will be available for media interviews during session breaks on Friday at approximately 10-10:15 a.m., 2-2:15 p.m., and 4-4:15 p.m.
Media interested in attending should RSVP to elizabeth.benton@ct.gov.
“Plastic pollution is a growing threat to human health and our environment. We are only beginning to understand the severity of this crisis, as well as the potential science, technology and policy solutions to mitigate harm," said Attorney General Tong. "The forum will convene bipartisan attorneys general, as well as scientific experts, advocates and industry leaders for a series of honest, solutions-oriented discussions about what we know and what we need to do to address plastics challenges to protect ourselves and future generations.”
Confirmed panelists include Connecticut Attorney General William Tong; California Attorney General Rob Bonta; New York Attorney General Letitia James (participating virtually); Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum; New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella; Former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh; Judith Enck, President of Beyond Plastics; Anthony Palmer from Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS; Keefe Harrison from Recycling Partnership; Alejandra Warren from Plastic Free Future; Kate Bailey from The Association of Plastic Recyclers; State Representative Tom O’Dea (R-New Canaan); Erin Simon from WWF; Sarah Doll from Safer States; Katie S. Dykes from Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection; Ron Gonen from Closed Loop Partners; Paul Nowak from GreenBlue (How2Recycle); Katie Drews from Eureka Recycling; Dr. Neil Tangri from GAIA Global and UC Berkeley; Crystal Dreisbach from Upstream (participating virtually); Michael Kraus from Green Sports Alliance (participating virtually); Martin Bourque from Ecology Center (participating virtually); Bruce Becker from Hotel Marcel; Dr. Leslie Shor from University of Connecticut; Jeff Keithline from Keller and Heckman LLP; Dr. Tracey Woodruff from University of California, San Francisco; Dr. Jane Muncke from Food Packaging Forum Foundation; Dr. Leonardo Trasande from NYU Wagner and NYU School of Medicine; Dr. Nihan Karali from Berkeley Lab's Sustainable Energy & Environmental Systems Department ; Heather McTeer Toneyfrom Beyond Petrochemicals ; Julia Koskellafrom Systemiq(participating virtually) ; Bret Biggersfrom ReMA ; Caroline Vanderlipfrom Re:Dish ; Dr.Veena Singlafrom Columbia University .