JDK, Hawaii, Research, Oh My!

I know what you’re thinking…if you have no idea who I am, this title makes absolutely no sense. What do JDK, Hawaii and research have in common? Some of you may be thinking, “What is JDK?” Well, luckily for you, I will explain all in due time!

In my most recent post, I mentioned how lately, motivation has been hiding from me. Working full-time as a retail associate, I haven’t had much time to do extra things, like keeping this blog going. So, I elected at the start of the year, to go part-time, in order to have more time to devote blogging and getting ready. Getting ready for what though?! Here we go…

It all started when I found out that there’s a conference happening this year devoted entirely to plastic pollution and creating solutions for the issue. The 5th International Marine Debris Conference will take place in Honolulu, Hawaii from March 20-25th and there, policy makers, scientists, industry reps and regular schmucks like myself will come together to discuss the issue of plastic pollution into our oceans, the impact of such a problem, and what we can do to stop it. One of the reasons I’m so jazzed about this conference is because, not only will it be a great way for me to network with people in my chosen field, but I also submitted my capstone poster to the conference and it got accepted! Which means, in short, that I have a lot of work to do to prepare (because, in case there was any doubt…I’m going to Hawaii!!!).

Luckily, I will soon have the opportunity to do a little public speaking! Even though I won’t be giving a lecture at the conference, this will still be beneficial in figuring out what message I want to get out to people.  That’s where JDK comes in: JDK (Jager, DiPaola and Kemp Design), as some of you may know, is a Burlington, VT-based multi-disciplinary design studio. They cultivate close relationships with all of their clients (notably Burton, Merrell, and XBox 360) by engaging brands through their Living Brand design process. The company has asked me to come to one of their weekly staff meeting and talk about my capstone and plastics. They have made a commitment to partnering with responsible companies and have a real interest in learning as much as possible about the pitfalls of plastics. I’m really honored to be able to do this, and excited! I’ll be giving my little “talk” on Friday, February 11th, so look for a recap post shortly after that.

I think that’s all my big news. What I’ve realized though, from all these events coming up, is that I really need to get my facts 100% straight and learn everything I can about plastics recycling. This conference is international and I have no idea who will be in attendance! I’m thinking a trip to the local recycling facility (for all non-Burlington residents, this is known as the Chittenden County Solid Waste District). I also need to work on my message. There are so many messages to get out about plastic pollution, and it will be my mission to find the most succinct way to incorporate all of them. How poor design leads to more disposal, how nothing is really “disposable,” how plastic is a social justice issue…and on and on.

So next up? My Message for 5IMDC. Look for it in a WordPress nearest you! 🙂

Countdown to Hawaii? 48 days… 🙂

PS – Totally spaced: I need to thank the UMaine School of Marine Sciences IMMENSELY for helping me out with all this. They not only provided 4 years of the best education I could ask for, but they generously offered to help finance part of my trip to Hawaii. I am completely indebted and so thankful to have them in my life. THANKS UMAINE!