Drew Durbin, who grew up in McLean and attended the Potomac School, presented a policy he wrote on plastic bag disposal to professionals and politicians on Friday, July 13 at the Roosevelt Institution’s Policy Expo in Washington, D.C. Durbin has been studying at Brown University for the past three years.
“The negative externalities associated with disposable bag consumption are pervasive, yet often overlooked next to more visible environmental problems,” said Durbin, prior to his presentation. “Thus, I look forward to addressing this issue at the 2007 Roosevelt Policy Expo, and presenting what I view as a simple and socially efficient solution to a market failure that affects daily life across the nation.”
The Roosevelt Institution, the nation’s first student think-tank, showcased the policy ideas of Durbin and its other fellows at this year’s National Policy Expo. Forty of Roosevelt’s most exceptional fellows presented original work on three pressing policy challenges. The Expo connected the Roosevelt Institution’s ideas to policy professionals, policy makers and students. The July 13 expo was held at the Academy for Educational Development Conference Center in Washington, D.C.
The Roosevelt Institution also launched its three 25 Ideas publications at the Policy Expo. These documents present 25 new, student-developed approaches to each of the three challenges: the Energy Challenge of reducing fossil fuel use, the Education Challenge addressing the lack of socioeconomic diversity in higher education, and the Working Families Challenge aimed at the incompatibility of many jobs with a sustainable family life.
“Durbin’s work is an example of one of our best ideas — well researched, nuanced but ultimately elegant in its simplicity,” said Caitlin Howarth, Roosevelt’s director of operations. “His pragmatic and multifaceted approach to the problem of waste recycling treats the issue with a care for social and economic dynamics not often found in undergraduate work.”
The Roosevelt Institution is a national network of student think tanks designed to provide the organizational infrastructure to get student ideas into the public discourse. Approximately 7,000 student members from all over the country, conduct policy research. The Roosevelt Institution connects these ideas to the policy process through research projects, conferences, presentations and publications.
For more information visit www.rooseveltinstitution.org.