October 27, 2022 , 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EDT
Microplastics are everywhere. They’re in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. They’re small enough to enter our cells, and they can mimic our hormones. Scientists are only beginning to understand the long-term impacts these invisible contaminants have on our bodies—many have been linked to diseases, from diabetes to certain cancers. Plastics are a risk to all of us—made up of over 10,000 chemicals that are harmful to our health and the planet.
Join us on October 27 for a conversation with Matt Simon, author of the new book, A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies, as we discuss the harmful impact microplastics have on our environment and our bodies. Joining Matt will be Dr. Deonie Allen & Dr. Steve Allen of Plastic Pollution News. The webinar will be moderated by Asher Jay, Founder & CEO of Henoscene and PPC Executive Advisory Board Member.
DATE: Thursday, October 27
TIME: 2-3 pm PT | 5-6 pm ET
Click here to convert to your timezone.
PANELISTS
Dr. Deonie Allen
Marie Currie Global Research Fellow, University of Birmingham (UK) and the University of Canterbury (NZ) & Co-Founder, Plastic Pollution News
Dr. Deonie Allen is an Marie Currie Global research fellow working with the University ofBirmingham (UK) and the University of Canterbury (NZ). Her research has focused on environmental pollution and pollution transport in urban and remote locations, specifically man-made pollutants, and how they influence environmental health, ecosystem function, sustainable and circular economy actions. Her current research focus is on microplastic pollution and its cyclic transport; in the air, water and soil/sediment. Deonie is a member of the GESAMP (UN Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) working group and is involved in a range of microplastic projects around the world. She is the Co-Founder of Plastic Pollution News with her husband, Dr. Steve Allen.
Dr. Steve Allen
Research Fellow, The Ocean Frontier Institute & Co-Founder, Plastic Pollution News
Dr Steve Allen is a research fellow with the Ocean Frontier Institute (Canada) studying micro and nano plastic pollution. Steve is an Australian born, passionate bluewater sailor and paraglider pilot but spends most of his time at a computer or in the lab shooting lasers at microplastics. His research focus is on micro(nano)plastic pollution and their associated toxic contaminants in the environment, especially airborne microplastic movement and remote area pollution. Steve is working to push the frontiers of how we sample micro and nano plastic in the environment more effectively and cheaply and how to analyze smaller and smaller particles and their associated contaminants. His work has shown that plastic pollution is traveling through the air and coming back out of the sea on the wind. He is the Co-Founder of Plastic Pollution News with his wife, Dr. Deonie Allen.
Matt Simon
Author, A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies & Science Journalist, Wired magazine
Matt Simon has been a science journalist at Wired magazine for nine years. He covers a range of beats, including biology, robotics, climate change, and of course, microplastic pollution. He is the creator of Wired’s Absurd Creature of the Week column, which ran from September 2013 to March 2016. This later turned into the weekly web video series Absurd Creatures, which was then adapted into the hit Netflix series Absurd Planet, which premiered in April 2020. Matt is the author of two previous books. The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar: Evolution’s Most Unbelievable Solutions to Life’s Biggest Problems, which cataloged the strangest creatures on Earth and won an Alex Award in 2017. This inspired his second book, Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal About Our World—and Ourselves, which dove deep into the science of how parasites mind-control their hosts, published in 2018.
MODERATOR
Asher Jay
Founder & CEO of Henoscene
Asher Jay is a National Geographic explorer turned tech entrepreneur and is a member of the Plastic Pollution Coalition Executive Advisory Board. She is the founder and CEO of Henoscene, a blockchain application that brings transparency and accountability to Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Social Governance aligned impact initiatives. Asher is an international adventurer and public figure whose career arc has taken her from fashion designing on Seventh Avenue to campaigning against illicit contraband on Billboards worldwide. Asher’s work has contributed to raising consumer awareness and empowering citizen action for well known brands like Prada, Adidas, Citizen Watches, L’Oréal and others. From business to design, Asher’s efforts have always pushed the boundaries on and explored technology as the final frontier to promote access, scale transformation, and enhance equity.
RESOURCES
- A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies (use code PPC for 30% off)
- Matt Simon, Wired
- Plastic Pollution News
- Two Strathclyders named amongst Wired Magazine’s 25 global innovators
- Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis (use code PPC25 for 25% off)
- Plastic Soup: An Atlas of Ocean Pollution (use code PPC for 30% off)
- Plastic Pollution Coalition Resource Library: Microplastics
- Asher Jay’s Blog
