My design practice is largely focused on using both emerging and experimental technologies to address sustainability issues and to create social design. My work is focused on the harmful effects of disposable or single use plastics. NO AWAY; An Awareness Campaign about Plastic Consumption has implications for my growth and development in this area well past graduation. I was able to work closely with my target audience -- teenagers (ages 14 to 17) with help from the Waite House Community Center in Minneapolis. By working with the teenagers and not for them, I was able to understand what would catch their attention and possibly provoke change. I became particularly interested in the area of plastics when I came upon the work of Chris Jordon, a photographer based in Seattle, Washington. Jordan’s photographic series, Midway: Message from the Gyre, contains pictures of Albatross corpses with their stomachs filled with plastic bits, remnants of bottle caps and lighters. These birds were found near and on the Midway Atoll, a remote cluster of islands more than 1000 miles from the nearest continent. The images of the Albatrosses moved me and I wanted to do my part in trying to have the world become more aware of the massive amount of plastic consumption and its profound affects on not only the environment, but also marine and wild life as well as humankind. Join the Facebook Event. Categories All Student Profile