Mary Kosuth, University of Minnesota Researcher

Join us for a special presentation from UMN Research Mary Kosuth — on plastics, “recycling”, contamination and what we can do about it.

Ms. Kosuth will present a brief history of the research on plastic pollution and discuss its impact on natural systems. She will talk about plastic in domestic environments as well as some of the health concerns from plastic pollution. She will also cover some of the challenges with “recycling” that she has investigated. There will be a 20-30 minute presentation followed by a question and answer period.

In 2018, she was the lead author on an article titled, “Anthropogenic contamination of tap water, beer, and sea salt”, and the Star Tribune published her op-ed, “Post-pandemic, plastic is the crisis we face: Everything from beaches to our bodies have shown evidence of contamination”, on February 15, 2021. We’ll conclude by sharing next steps you can take as an indidual to reduce waste and the advocacy needed to create a zero waste system.