About Us

“To create a zero waste community, we need a radical rethink of our systems, policies, and personal choices.”

rePurpose Whidbey is a community-focused, grassroots zero waste organization that believes there is no such thing as trash and that everything is a resource. rePurpose helps community members find the best way to manage material resources through education, community action and policy change. rePurpose moves towards this future through upstream policy changes and downstream waste management. Together we can refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, compost and recycle. 

Our zero waste group came together in December 2021, when Derek Hoshiko and Joan Green realized they had a mutual passion for the environment and wanted to “geek out” on zero waste. After the City of Langley declared a Climate Emergency, Joan invited Sarah Bergquist to serve as an educational advisor to the group after she took Sarah’s Waste Wise volunteer training through Washington State University (WSU) Extension. Other members of the Whidbey Island community who had an interest in zero waste have joined to share their skills and ideas.

rePurpose’s intention is to:

  • Provide zero waste education through our online Wasteless Wiki developed in collaboration with University of Washington (UW) environmental studies students; and presentations, workshops and zero waste audits led by the Washington State University (WSU) Waste Wise of Island County.

  • Initiate zero waste community actions through our programs such as the hard to recycle item drop off program, reuse center, dishware rental program, zero waste support for local events, free repair cafes and our newest program in development: Endless Belongings, a compassionate, zero waste home clearing after someone passes away. 

  • Affect zero waste policy change on Whidbey Island and beyond by working closely with our Langley City Council, local institutions, Island County, local youth advocates, Zero Waste Washington and Beyond Plastics.

Joan Green is co-founder of rePurpose Whidbey and is passionate about reuse, zero waste and the circular economy.

She is an artist and educator who connects people to their creativity and the Earth through reusable materials with her business, Green Art Labs. She serves on the City of Langley’s Climate Crisis Action Commission and has been through trainings with Beyond Plastics, Zero Waste Washington, WSU Waste Wise, Sound Water Stewards and Leadership Whidbey. She’s a Climate Reality Leader and mentored youth with Charles Moore’s non-profit, Agalita. Through her art and teachings, Joan empowers children and their families to make more sustainable everyday choices to respect themselves and our planet. Joan earned her BA from San Diego State University and is the mother of three adult children.

Derek Hoshiko is a co-founder of rePurpose Whidbey and an organizer with For The People.

For over 20 years, Derek has managed groups of volunteers, activists, and entrepreneurs. After years of personal practice reducing waste in his household, Derek is excited to extend his learnings and practice to rePurpose and with the Whidbey Island community. He sees that zero waste excites people and can help move people from inaction to action not just to reduce waste, but in all the ways we need to meaningfully address the climate crisis. He believes that the change starts when we stop putting things in the so-called trash can—or at least be conscious each time we do. In each of these moments, we begin the work to abolish it.

Sarah Bergquist heads up the education pillar of rePurpose Whidbey and is a core team member of the organization.

Sarah Bergquist heads up the education pillar of rePurpose Whidbey and is a core team member of the organization. She currently serves as Interim Director of WSU-Extension Island County and Coordinator of the Waste Wise Program. Sarah brings deep local roots and a strong background in science and education to her leadership. She earned her BS in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and an MS in Secondary Education from Western Governors University. As Waste Wise Coordinator, Sarah has spearheaded innovative programs like the “Cord and Light Drive” and “Reuse and Share” kiosks, while working closely with schools to promote sustainability and stewardship. In 2022, she was appointed Interim Director following the retirement of Tim Lawrence, continuing to shape Extension programs with her collaborative and forward-thinking approach.

Where does our Whidbey waste really go?

You may not know this, but our Whidbey Island trash gets picked up by trucks that drive all over the island, then it’s compacted into containers weighing as much as 25-tons and trucked off the island with 26-wheel semi trucks and then loaded on a train car to travel a 400-mile route to the Roosevelt landfill at the southern border of Washington along the Columbia River. Not only is this an inefficient process, but it creates hazardous air pollution and exacerbates global warming. At the landfill, the trash containers are hauled up the side of an 1,800-foot hill. Just this last step alone to get containers from the train terminal up to the landfill uses 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel per day! Island County is responsible for 5-10 of the 300 containers sent to the landfill per day.

 
So when we refuse, reduce and reuse, we are taking important steps that impact our environment.

rePurpose Whidbey Timeline

  • September 2021 - Joan and Derek start geeking out about zero waste.

  • December 2021 - They start organizing and host zero waste Zoom meetings with friends. 

  • Earth Day 2022 - First in-person zero waste potluck at the South Whidbey Community Center. Installation of the Reuse Kiosk at SWCC. 

  • July 2023 - Website Launch

  • July 2023 - Launch of the rePurpose Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Membership Program at the community presentation at Whidbey At Home. 

  • August 2023 - The first rePurpose Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Membership Program membership drop off event at the SW Commons Cafe. 

  • March 2024 - The Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Program grows and moves to the South Whidbey Community Center. 

  • April 2024 - rePurpose hosts their first Repair Cafe for the community. 

  • Earth Day 2024 - Milestone of 100 founding members reached.  

  • November 2024 - Grand opening of the rePurpose Reuse and Recycling Center at the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds, Coffman Building.

  • January 2025 - rePurpose starts working with University of Washington interns on the Wasteless Wiki. 

  • Earth Day 2025 - Milestone of 200 members reached.

  • June 2025 - rePurpose starts working with a second set of University of Washington interns on the Wasteless Wiki. 

  • August 2025 - rePurpose hires their first On-Site Coordinator.

  • October 2025 - Launch of the Whidbey Compost Collective food scraps collection with rePurpose. 

  • November 2025 - Relaunch of the rePurpose website.

  • November 2025 - Launch of the Wasteless Wiki to share detailed information about materials and their environmental impact.

Our Locations

rePurpose currently has two locations on South Whidbey Island:

rePurpose Reuse and Recycling Center, at the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in the Coffman Building, located at 819 Camano Ave, Langley, WA 98260. Hours of operation are Wednesdays 12-4 p.m., during member drop off events and by appointment. 

Directions
Enter the fairgrounds at the main entrance off Camano Ave. Make your first left, and The Coffman building is the first building up the hill on the left. 

Parking
If you are able, please park in the main fair parking area by the bathrooms and walk up to the Coffman Building. There is accessible parking near the dog arena, or anywhere else on the concrete or gravel that isn’t blocking the road. Please don’t park on the grass as a courtesy.

rePurpose Dishware Rentals, in the back room of the South Whidbey Commons Cafe at 124 Second Street, Langley, WA 98260 in Langley. If you’re picking up or dropping off dishware, you can briefly park in the back of the building off the alley at the appointed time.

Our Community Partners

Our community connections run deep and continue to grow each season. We have the pleasure to collaborate with a variety of businesses and organizations in support of zero waste culture shifts in our community and beyond.

The Just Transition

We are guided by the Just Transition Framework, which provides the context for our zero waste work to build a circular economy within an emerging regenerative economy. Rather than dig up, burn, and dump resources, we can take responsibility and recirculate resources. In doing so, we can create more broadly shared prosperity while making our communities healthier and more sustainable.