Brian Thompson, Retired Journalist, NBC, Monmouth Beach, New Jersey

Brian Thompson, Retired NBC NY Journalist

Brian Thompson served as a journalist for five decades, more than half of that time as the New Jersey reporter for NBC NY, before retiring in May 2023. He then devoted himself full time to his true passion, caring for our Mother Earth. As a member of his town’s Environmental Commission, he led a campaign that resulted in the single strongest plastic ban in the nation back in 2018, on straws, plastic food bags and Styrofoam-type food takeout containers (until NJ passed the strongest in the nation law in 2020). Just before his retirement, he interviewed Governor Phil Murphy and asked him why New Jersey doesn’t have a bottle deposit return law. When Governor Murphy said it was a good idea, Brian then joined with leading environmental groups including Beyond Plastics to try to pass such a law.

He has also joined forces with Clean Water Action NJ to pass local Skip the Stuff ordinances and additionally is working on a law to control toxic microplastics pollution at construction sites where table saws are used in manufactured lumber and vinyl cutting. In his spare time, he walks the beach with his dog, Bella, often picking up plastic trash along the way. His bio photo at home is in front of art work created from plastic water bottles.