BOARD MEMBER, PRESIDENT

With our world of Amazon packaging, take-out food containers, and more incentives to consume than conserve, it’s really hard to reduce waste. I think many Methow residents and businesses want to create less garbage and just need prompting and easier paths to make it happen. I grew up composting and recycling, and then professionally helped businesses start recycling and waste prevention programs. Over the course of 20 years’ visiting the Methow, I watched Methow Recycles evolve from a recycling center to a community leader in waste reduction education. I joined the board because I like the direction the organization is headed, and because I now have a home here and hope to use my background and passion to help advocate for a waste-free Methow Valley.

BOARD MEMBER, VICE PRESIDENT

I’ve been a public school educator for over 30 years and believe that our collective commitment to the well-being of all our kids says a lot about who we are as adults. Addressing climate change is our most urgent collective responsibility, and waste reduction and smarter use of resources are important parts of the solution. I was raised to turn off the lights, conserve water and cut up my orange peels before I put them in the compost. My dad was a farmer from the Midwest; for him, waste was a form of laziness. The “normal” way to live our lives today produces way too much waste and accelerates climate change. “Methow Recycles – It’s what we do here.” That just says it all for me – it changes what’s normal and that changes what’s possible.

BOARD MEMBER, SECRETARY

I was born in Montana, raised with my 8 siblings in California, and eventually migrated to Washington to practice medicine. In Seattle I had the good fortune of meeting my husband, Jim Clement, and we have spent our lives together sharing our profession, raising our daughter, and enjoying so many aspects of the great outdoors. Al Gore’s 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, shook me out of my complacency about our planet’s physical trajectory, our abuse of our natural resources, and our consumption driven mindsets. Working with Methow Recycles seems like an excellent way to put intentions into action, to do something positive for our planet.

BOARD MEMBER, TREASURER

Nancy fell in love with the Methow Valley as a teenager on a camping trip up the Chewuch River. She knew it was time to move out of Seattle when her husband began “sharecropping” on the neighbor’s parking strip. Since moving to the Methow Valley in 2014, Nancy, and her husband, have enjoyed working hard, playing harder and living off the land that they steward on Wolf Creek. Spare time is spent x-country skiing, hiking, fishing, gardening, harvesting and volunteering. Being a board member is a chance to work with a group of smart dedicated people who all believe in the mission of reducing, reusing and recycling.

BOARD MEMBER

Having grown up in the Methow Valley, it is wonderful to return to this community 40 years later and find such a commitment to recycling shared by local businesses and individuals. I am excited to help move this commitment to the next level by learning to reduce and reuse. The population of the valley reflects that of the Earth, more and more humans seeking to coexist and to thrive in a sustainable way that preserves our precious natural world. Shared resources such as the Tool Library and Take It or Leave It and undoubtedly the non-profit organization Methow Recycles itself, are our future. As a board member, I look forward to hearing suggestions from community members. Together we can make a difference.

BOARD MEMBER

I am mostly but not entirely retired from a Seattle based medical career in primary care internal medicine, moving to the Valley with my wife Barb in 2015. I spend my days being a Methow Valley cliché, Nordic and backcountry skiing, mountain and road biking, hiking and backpacking, paddling, and find time to volunteer with Methow Recycles working with Ram-ona the baler and at the monthly Repair Cafe.

BOARD MEMBER

After retiring as a career biologist in Alaska, I moved to the Methow for its wildlife but soon embraced the spirit, resilience, and camaraderie of this rural community. A supporter of circular economies, I was immediately drawn to Methow Recycles where I could both recycle my discarded resources and “shop” for materials to be repurposed for my never-ending projects. I was thrilled to join the Board of this proactive, progressive, and passionate organization and hope to weave my passion for composting into the fabric of its future.

BOARD MEMBER

My first job was working the scales at my parents aluminum recycling yard. Ever since I've had a passion for reuse, recycling and environmental stewardship. Since 2009 I've been following that passion in the Methow. My first business, Recycling Roundup, offered collection services to local businesses. In 2013 Recycling Roundup joined forces with Methow Valley Sanitation to create WasteWise. As my businesses have evolved, Methow Recycles has been a steady and supportive partner. It's my pleasure to serve on the board of this incredible organization as we continue our work to inspire resource conservation though waste prevention, materials reuse and recycling in our community.