About Us

Sue Maxwell

Sue (she/her) has been interested in Zero Waste since 2005 when she wrote her Master’s thesis on it. She has been involved with Zero Waste BC since its inception as well as has volunteered with many other organizations including the Recycling Council of BC, the Sea to Sky Clean Air Association, the Climate Caucus and AWARE. She works as a sustainability consultant with a specialty of Zero Waste, having developed Zero Waste Strategies and helped to form new Extended Producer Responsibility programs, and served one term as a councillor for Whistler. Her travels and experiences of the outdoors continues to emphasize to her the need to protect and regenerate what nature remains and to ensure all people are valued.

Sarah King

Sarah (she/her) brings two decades of experience working in zero waste, green living and environmental justice. She currently leads Greenpeace Canada’s Oceans & Plastics campaign, advising companies around the world on sustainable and socially responsible procurement and advocating for plastic and waste reduction policies at all levels of government. Sarah holds a Masters in Environmental Applied Science and Management, and is grateful to live in Coast Salish Territory where she spends time in the mountains.

John Vissers

Born in the Netherlands, raised in Ontario and Montana, John has lived on a rural forested property on Sumas Mountain near Abbotsford for the past 34 years. After selling his construction contracting business, he commits much of his time to non-profit groups. John served on Abbotsford’s Environmental Advisory committee, the Development Advisory, and presently on the Community, Culture and Environment Advisory committee. Some of the other groups John works with include the Fraser Valley Conservancy, Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition, Rail for the Valley, South Fraser Community Rail, Resilient Communities Canada, Mission Folk Music Festival Society and BC Greens Provincial Council. For his contributions and volunteer work, John has received Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellowship, The Order of Abbotsford, and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal.

Cassidy v. Ros

A marketing, communications, and branding strategist, Cassidy v. Ros combines hands-on understanding with broad experience to tilt perspectives and bridge the gap between accessibility and circularity. Focused intently on developing expertise in the place where circularity in building and accessible community development meet, Cassidy has already made impactful contributions to climate-friendly and accessible policy at the provincial and federal level. One recent success was a campaign to clarify the BC building code that garnered endorsements from 27 industry organizations, and from the Deputy Minister and Minister of Housing, which will make a lasting, positive environmental impact in the province. As a person with a disability, Cassidy is committed to using her unique skill set to help everyone participate equally in the communities they live in, and to create a safe space for decision makers to discuss uncertainties, challenges and goals, and to seek further education.

Jennifer Henry

Jennifer was the Executive Director of SPEC (Society Promoting Environmental Conservation, is the Founder of Perk Eco, Canada’s national cup recycling program and is a solid waste specialist at BC Housing. Jennifer brings to ZeroWaste BC her background in waste innovations, waste reduction, and creating circular economy solutions for materials with no good end-of-life solutions. She’s proud to have created and supported solutions that diverted over 8 million lbs of waste from landfills. A graduate of the University of Cambridge’s Business Sustainability Management, and Master Recycler, she works to implement known solutions to keep our shared planet below 1.5 degrees of warming. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys Fraser Valley trails and rivers with family, teaching her 2 young sons about biodiversity and the natural world.

Doug Schell

Doug Schell has worked to improve waste and recycling systems in several large organizations including BC Housing and Vancouver Coastal Health. He has over 35 years experience in the recycling and waste management sector.  In collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, Doug has been part of the efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change through waste diversion, engagement and education. Doug inspires others by his example and knows we can all do better in reducing our waste and manage our natural resources more sustainably. Doug co-founded one of the first full-service recycling companies in Greater Vancouver, Waste-Not Recycling Inc. In time Waste-Not Recyclers opened an Encorp bottle depot and promoted zero waste events throughout the province of BC. Doug has worked with organizations for the past three decades offering the tools to promote zero waste and continues to seek ways to reduce the barriers to recycling, especially within marginalized communities.

Emily Sproule

Emily (she/her) brings 20 years of experience working in ethically-minded small businesses and a lifetime of interest in environmental responsibility. Alarmed by how much waste her family of four was creating and frustrated by limited zero waste offerings, in 2020, Emily started Jarr Delivery, a zero waste grocery delivery company located in Vancouver, BC. Emily sold Jarr in 2022 and currently lives in Tla-o-qui-aht territory (Tofino), where she continues to encourage individuals, businesses and governments to reduce single-use packaging waste through reuse. Emily imagines a future with economical refill systems in conventional grocery stores, thriving local farms, an absence of food waste and a recovering ocean with no new single-use plastic. If we can dream it, we can create it.