John Berard
johnathanberard.bsky.social
John Berard
@johnathanberard.bsky.social
Policy Director at Beyond Plastics.

Policy/comms/campaigns. Musician, writer, hockey player, outdoorsperson, canoeist, environmental advocate. Dad. Owner of many books. RI born/bred/die/dead. MSC/URI/GWU.

Opinions and views are my own.
Reposted by John Berard
June 5, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by John Berard
“It’s shameful that this same industry that is taking in billions in profit at the expense of low-income people and people of color is pretending to speak for these communities to New York lawmakers.” - Alexa White, Ph.D | policy director at @hiphopcaucus.bsky.social

@speakercarlheastie.bsky.social
Chemical industry sinks to new low to thwart NY packaging reduction bill (Guest Opinion by Alexa White)
Reducing plastic packaging will not raise food prices for low-income New Yorkers, contrary to industry talking points, writes environmental justice advocate.
www.syracuse.com
June 3, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by John Berard
[Karoline Leavitt saying the Librarian of Congress was fired for having books in the library] Wow that's the worst thing I've ever seen

*refreshes feed*

[The mayor of Newark is being held at an unspecified facility] Wow that's the worst thing I've ever seen
May 9, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by John Berard
From Jeffrey Toobin's 2008 book THE NINE, this remains the greatest Justice Souter anecdote I can possibly share. RIP.
May 9, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by John Berard
We're in Albany today with a big group of advocates who want to put people and planet over plastic in NY state. We're rallying in support of the essential Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act + Bigger Better Bottle Bill this session!
@surewecannyc.bsky.social @nypirg.bsky.social
May 7, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by John Berard
No. Stop it.

This is nonsense and you’re falling for it.
Trump's third-term talk freezes the potential 2028 Republican field
The more Trump delays, the more he commands attention and averts the perception that he’s a lame duck.
www.nbcnews.com
April 27, 2025 at 3:28 AM
These buffoons know toxic substances don’t care what your party affiliation is, right?
The Trump administration is set to cancel tens of millions of dollars in grants to scientists studying environmental hazards faced by children in rural America, among other health issues, according to internal emails written by senior officials at the EPA.
E.P.A. Set to Cancel Grants Aimed at Protecting Children From Toxic Chemicals
The cancellations, set to apply to pending and active grants, also affect research into “forever chemicals” contaminating the food supply.
www.nytimes.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:14 AM
We are talking about waste all wrong in RI. In our current system, municipalities and taxpayers are on the hook for the cost of managing waste and recycling programs. Yet they have no say in what that waste looks like.

A thread.

www.wpri.com/community/en...
RI cities and towns work to combat financial strain of improper recycling
Resource Recovery announced Tuesday that it has enacted a new fee structure of $20 per rejected ton of recycling, with a maximum of $250 per load.
www.wpri.com
April 3, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Great piece by @robesmit.bsky.social. I’ve been beating this drum for a decade and there has been little to no action to date. While we need to start thinking about a solution NOW, we can slow the bleed with STRONG source reduction policies: composting, EPR, bottle bill etc ecori.org/rhode-island...
Rhode Island's Last Landfill Is Running Out of Room - ecoRI News
The Central Landfill serves the waste needs of about 97% of Rhode Island.
ecori.org
March 28, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by John Berard
The plan:
March 17, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by John Berard
March 14, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by John Berard
Trump and Musk are decimating basic government services while driving up costs for everyday Americans.

Trump wants to keep flouting the Constitution.

I’m a hard no on cloture and strongly oppose the GOP’s partisan, cynical shutdown ploy.
March 13, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by John Berard
🚨 Microplastics researchers gathered existing studies and have begun to note patterns in how microplastics interfere with photosynthesis 🌱 including in staple crops (wheat, rice, maize/corn) 🌾🍚🌽 #plasticstreaty

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis, study finds, threatening millions with starvation
Researchers say problem could increase number of people at risk of starvation by 400m in next two decades
www.theguardian.com
March 13, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Reposted by John Berard
Not that we needed another reason to pass #NewYork's Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act, but here it is: Microplastics now linked to antibiotic-resistant superbugs. @cnn.com
Microplastics may enable spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, study says | CNN
Microplastics provide an excellent bacterial breeding ground that may be contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a new study says.
www.cnn.com
March 12, 2025 at 3:07 PM