Joan Green is passionate about reuse, zero waste and the circular economy. She is an artist, mother of three and lives in a co-housing community on south Whidbey Island. Joan is passionate about connecting people to their creativity and the Earth through reusable materials with her arts education business, Green Art Labs. Joan is also a writer and communications professional and helps her clients who are focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in various fields such as behavioral health, climate justice and environmental education. Locally, Joan volunteers with Waste Wise, Sound Water Stewards and she graduated from Leadership Whidbey. Nationally she is an exhibiting artist with Creature Conserve, the Climate Science Alliance and she was an artist in residence at Cabrillo National Monument. In her art, she explored “the edge” of Cabrillo – which translates to this environmental edge that we are balancing on. She is deeply concerned with the plastic ocean pollution problem, and is a volunteer expert mentor with Captain Charles Moore’s foundation, Agalita and their International Plastic Ocean Pollution Solutions Youth Summit. She is also a Climate Reality Leader through Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. Recently she’s attended workshops and is involved with Upstream, Beyond Plastics and Zero Waste Washington. Through her art and teachings, Joan empowers children and their families to make more sustainable everyday choices to respect themselves and our planet.

Derek Hoshiko is a co-founder of rePurpose 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 has worked in the education field for 20 years, both in Alaska, where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Masters in Environmental Education degrees, and in Washington State.

Gabbi Korrow is a flower farmer living on South Whidbey Island. Her work sprouting dahlia tubers and weeding sunflower rows connects her to the natural world and the changes it experiences. This closeness with the land calls her to use her time to protect and advocate for our environment. Gabbi graduated from The Evergreen State College where she studied compassion and psychology. She worked as an English teacher while traveling throughout the world for many years. She was heavily impacted by experiencing climate injustice first hand, seeing cows eating out of overflowing dumpsters in Chennai, India, visiting the Villa shanty towns in Buenos Aires, and going a month without seeing the sky because it was so choked with pollution in Hanoi, Vietnam. Gabbi returned to Whidbey Island and her family’s farming roots. She spent a year building a house with her own two hands. Using her own labor and being creative with her resources she was able to make the increasingly unattainable dream of being a homeowner a reality. In the summer of 2022, Gabbi joined rePurpose as a way to connect with her community, and create ripples of positive change larger than herself. She is interested in group process and moving through difficult dialogues with grace.