Manuel is the Director of Mission & Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Nature’s Path Organic Foods, a fiercely independent, family-run, sustainably-driven organic breakfast and snack food company that believes in ‘always leaving the earth better than we found it’. Manuel has more than thirteen years of experience with corporate sustainability, operations, and marketing in … Read more
Pete Gonzales has worked in the Food Manufacturing Industry for the past 20 years in both Dairy and Meat Processing facilities. Pete has worked in the EHS and Training fields for the entirety of 20 years. Although he had spent much of his career in EHS, he is a certified computer programmer taking specials interests … Read more
Alina, a seasoned sustainability leader and advocate for zero waste, brings over 15 years of program management experience to her current role at the San Francisco Environment Department, where she currently oversees the BottleBank program, an innovative beverage container redemption pilot project. Alina excels in team leadership and building strategic relationships with both municipal organizations … Read more
Gary Liss has 50 years of experience in recycling, is a leading advocate of Zero Waste, and has worked on more Zero Waste Plans than anyone else in America. He is Vice-President of Zero Waste USA, Chair of the Zero Waste International Alliance Certifications Committee, past President and Lifetime Honorary Board Member of the National … Read more
Megan Hernandez found her way to the supply side of the wine industry after over a decade of winemaking in Napa and Sonoma Counties. A freak horse accident and the desire to drop off and pick up her son from school, even during harvest, led her to explore other areas of the wine industry while … Read more
Linda (she/her) handles the social media and creative media – website, graphic design and video editing – needs of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Population and Sustainability program. She is also an organizer for the Center’s Food Justice Film Festival. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in visual communications from Hawaii Pacific University, with a … Read more
Jo Banner co-founded The Descendants Project, where she channels her affection and knowledge into challenging systems, primarily legal systems that have exploited the descendants, such as herself, of those enslaved to plantations. She is now working to gain recognition of the burial grounds of the enslaved as sacred sites and aims to protect such sites … Read more
Jeremy Drake is a Zero Waste consultant with over 10 years of experience in project management, program planning and implementation, collection system procurement, stakeholder engagement, technical assistance, and education. He holds a MA in Urban Sustainability from Antioch University – Los Angeles and is a Zero Waste USA-certified Zero Waste Associate. After a decade in … Read more
Kaela Martins is Manager, Recycling and Packaging Sustainability at the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA). In this capacity, she manages projects related to packaging (containerboard/kraft) and recovered fiber initiatives. Martins has an expansive history in the sustainability field, including having led industry committees, developed guiding resources, and provided regulatory support on critical waste and … Read more
A first-generation American, Martin has held influential roles in many sectors of the wine industry since 2002: wine director, importer, educator, international judge, award-winning winemaker, resilience activist, and writer. His wine story began with an over-indulgent Parisian dinner as a Stanford undergrad; soon after he was stocking shelves at K&L. In 2011, Martin became the principal buyer for national … Read more