Former DPNR Commissioner Is Senior Advisor for Beyond Plastics
Sara Kirkpatrick | April 2, 2023 | The Virgin Islands Daily News
Virgin Islander Dawn Henry has been tapped by Beyond Plastics to serve as its new senior adviser.
In that role, Henry, a former commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, will help guide Beyond Plastics in its mission to reduce plastic pollution through education, outreach, and civic engagement.
The U.S.-based organization was founded in 2019 by former Environmental and Protection Agency regional administrator Judith Enck.
“This is a little organization, but they are super energized, and I consider it a privilege to be a part of what they are trying to accomplish,” Henry told The Daily News.
Enck praised the selection.
“With her impressive experience and passion for fearlessly combating the plastics crisis, Dawn will play a valuable role in Beyond Plastics’ efforts to implement policies to reduce plastic pollution and curb corporate reliance on this persistent pollutant,” Enck said in a released statement.
From 2015 through 2018, Henry served as DPNR commissioner and she championed the territory’s plastic bag ban.
“These are issues that I really want to continue to work on, even if it’s not in the capacity of working in the government,” Henry said.
Henry noted that her concerns about plastics have persisted as she’s learned more about what they are made of, and how industries utilizing plastics are not held accountable.
“The fact is that they are not recycling these plastics, and we have to find a different solution moving forward,” Henry said.
One example of legislation Beyond Plastic seeks to implement nationwide would require companies to pay a fee based on the amount of plastic they produce.
