We were thrilled to have had so many amazing partners, students, panelists, and citizens join us last week (photo of attendees to the right) to kick-off the update to the Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan for 2026-2030! Please share your highlights and let us know how we can improve!

We have so many people and organizations to thank but we especially want to mention our sponsors (please see them all listed below), our great partners at the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (VA CZM), our amazing Keynote Speakers: Katie Register (middle photo), founder of Clean Virginia Waterways, Bonnie Monteleone of Plastic Ocean Project and Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics, our "Speed Dating" Experts who were available during our Tuesday night reception for quick Q & A sessions with our participants (bottom photo), our planning committee and the volunteers that came out to give us a hand (Jody, Mark, Shanell and Dorie). We also want to thank our host, Norfolk Botanical Garden for the beautiful venue and the tram ride for our participants, as well as the caterer, East Beach Catering, who, in addition to serving yummy food, helped us make this event plastic-free and almost totally waste-free. I also must thank my CVW staff, Terra, Emily and Zach, who worked so hard to make this Summit an incredible success! Kudos to all!

Christina Trapani, CVW Program Director

From panel discussions about Abandoned and Derelict Vessels and Microplastics to Student Presentations, Breakout Sessions, Speed Dating with the Experts and the Duke Riley exhibit - camaraderie, strategizing, solutions and good times were had by all! And we were able to collect an abundance of input and great ideas for the 2026-2030 Virginia Marine Reduction Plan (to be published by the end of this year).

We want you to share your thoughts, photos and so much more.

Bonnie Monteleone's Keynote speech, “Is there hope in ending plastic pollution?"

Bonnie captivated our audience with her presentation about ending plastic pollution. She also brought her interactive and eye-opening artwork, “What Goes Around, Comes Around” and "Running out of time" (photo below) that was on display at the Norfolk Botanical Garden during the Summit.

Panel on Microplastics and Microfibers, from left to right: Dr. Chris Burbage, Hampton Roads Sanitation District; Dr. Meredith Seeley, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Dr. Robert Hale, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; and Kaleea Korunka, student at William and Mary

During this riveting panel, Moderator: Virginia Witmer, of the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, introduced each panelist and we were given amazing presentations on the SWIFT microplastic study, an evolving understanding of plastic debris in Society & the environment, and more.

Zach Huntington, CVW, discussing plastic reduction policy and the Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan.

A Breakout Session for input gathering

Our Breakout Sessions were instrumental in allowing CVW and the VA CZM Program collect input from stakeholders regarding the update to the Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan. These sessions sparked thoughtful conversation and many ideas to consider for the the next 5 years of the VMDRP.

Ocean Conservancy Exhibit Table

We had 18 Exhibitors and Sponsors at the Summit and could not have had such a beautiful Summit without their support!

Take the VMDS Survey

We want to hear from you about your experience. What was your favorite panel or presentation? What did you want more of, what could you have lived without. Let us know!

Take the Survey HERE

Environmental Studies Program Students, from left to right, Reese Longwater and Kaydyn Ismail

We had students from college and high school alike presenting on many aspects of plastic pollution including: “Applying a Macro Lens to Microplastics: Modeling Microplastic Ingestion Risk to Humpback Whales in the Mid-Atlantic,” "A Day Without Plastic Video Contest," “Marine Debris Assessment on Ragged Island,” and more. Having so many students there gave us such a fresh perspective about things happening with our youth. We want to thank the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for their grant to support student participation (in cooperation with the NOAA Marine Debris Program).

CVW Director, Christina Trapani, viewing the Duke Riley exhibit "O'er the Wild & Plastic Sea" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Va Beach

Tour of the Elizabeth River Project Resilience Lab

What an awesome time we all had at the Norfolk Night Out in the Eco-District, visiting the Elizabeth River Project Ryan Resilience Lab and taking electric boat tours with Electrified Marina (photo below) - what a gorgeous view from both perspectives!

We ended the night with trivia focused on the Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan at Elation Brewing (bottom photo)!

VMDS Presentations

We heard you loud and clear and we will have all presentations linked for you in the next few weeks - so keep your eyes out for that update soon in our E-News.

Thanks again to all of our sponsors!

*Several of our student involvements at the Summit were made possible by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation through coordination with the NOAA Marine Debris Program!

Humpback Whale Sponsors

Minke Whale Sponsors

THE FREEMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

Bottlenose Dolphin Sponsors

Support Clean Virginia Waterways

We Need Your Input for the 2021-2025

Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan (VMDRP)

Thank you to all of our partners who have responded to our survey regarding the VMDRP. Take a look at the Summary of Progress, a compilation of partner input to this survey and the work being done toward completing the goals of the Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan. This is a working document so as partners send us input, we will add it to this summary.

If you are a partner in the VMDRP and have not yet filled out the survey, please find the survey links below. It is only necessary to respond to the surveys for the goals that you have been involved in, even if you didn't sign up when the 2021-2025 VMDRP was published. This input is a valuable component to the update of the VMDRP.

Goal #1 -- Consumer Debris

Goal #2 -- Derelict Fishing Gear

Goal #3 -- Microplastics and Microfibers

Goal #4 -- Abandoned and Derelict Vessels

Thank you for your help!

If you have any questions, please contact Christina at Christina@CleanVirginiaWaterways.org.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE

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From cleanups to outreach events and everything in between, we rely on volunteers to help us work towards cleaner waterways in Virginia!

Volunteer with CVW

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Photo: CVW and CZM Staff

Clean Virginia Waterways is a fiscally sponsored program of United Charitable, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.