Matthew Jumpp passionate about preserving the environment

Growing up, Matthew Jumpp was always fascinated with his environment and developed a strong passion for protecting it.

Now a chemical engineer, the 24-year-old is enacting his passion by playing his part in keeping the island safe from hazardous chemicals. Ever since he was in high school, Jumpp was actively a part of beach clean-ups and went to every one that he could. He told THE STAR that he hated to see how people littered the island, and that was what truly sparked his environmental interests.

"It hurts my soul; I find it to be a painful experience to watch people improperly dispose of garbage. Like, it's hard to watch people throwing things through their windows instead of just keeping it until they get to their destination or they reach a garbage bin," Jumpp said, adding that he became a chemical engineer because it allows him to help keep the environment safe.

"When I assessed what I wanted for my life, I looked at the different career paths I could take, things that I would be passionate about, and it encapsulated most of them; for example, working with the environment to ensure our habitat, which is the Earth, remains liveable," he added.

Jumpp, who graduated from the University of Technology, Jamaica last November with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in chemical engineering, currently works for Caribbean Environmental Solution as an environmental engineer. He is responsible for "removing harmful contaminates from soil and water in our surrounding environment so that we can have a healthier habitat".

"Think about it this way, we have set amounts of contaminants that are allowable, because you can never truly get rid of everything; you can't get it to zero," Jumpp explained, adding that he also assists in removing oil spills from various water bodies.

He advocates for more educational programmes and promotions to be implemented, so that some small and large businesses can learn more about protecting the environment we live in.

"Some companies are not aware of all environmental best practices or struggle to mitigate some issues on their own, and that is because there is not enough awareness in the country. So, some businesses aren't aware of this until after the fact, and that's a problem that we're facing. Hence [that is] why contacting an environmental company is crucial," Jumpp said, adding that Jamaicans need to also play their role by recycling.

"Recycling is paramount to our environment's cleanliness. Rather than adding to our surplus of garbage, let's repurpose what we can and ensure a healthier environment for ourselves and future generations," he said.