Leah Seabrook, RCA President

Prepare to be inspired by this group of young waste reduction entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of waste management while working towards a healthier planet.

Moderator: Mikhael Metauro (Cascades Recovery+)

• Alex Villeneuve (Ceres Solutions) – Brewery Waste Upcycling
• Diana Grant-Richmond & Ashika Thaker (Unravelled Yarns)
• Ozzy Lang (Green Cup)
• Jacob Petovar (Canadian Bumper Recyclers)
• Jackson Wyatt (Greenlid)
• Zachary Champoux (Nomad EcoProducts)

Moderator: Rick Valdarchi (City of Calgary)

Sudhir Suri (L’OEUF Architects) – A Very Big Village Indeed

An innovator in collaborative process, Sudhir has investigated and designed architectural, landscape and living systems for over 20 years. Convinced that ‘sustainability’ sets the bar too low, his ‘resonant design’ work has been awarded multiple prizes, including the Green Energy Benny Farm project, judged the most sustainable project in North America and third in the world by the Swiss Holcim Foundation. Sudhir also designed the living systems and ecosystem services framework for the Petit Rivière Master Plan, and designed the first structural, insulated rammed earth house in Quebec. His recent work was shortlisted for the Saint-Laurent Sports Complex competition, the Pierrefonds Public Library competition, the Montreal Biodome competition and most recently for the Chambly Center for Knowledge, History and Culture. Sudhir’s current work includes completion of the NDG Cultural Centre; a micro-housing and agriculture project in downtown Montreal; and a soon-to-be-released series of prefabricated passive homes.

Food waste is an environmental as well as a social issue that has been receiving increasing focus in both policies as well as programs. This session presents examples of both actions and advocacy to tackle food waste.

Moderator: Connie Anderson (Molok)

• Carla Bitz (Feeding the 5000 Calgary) – Feeding the 5000 Calgary: Challenging the Status Quo Never Tasted So Good
• Krzysztof Palka (AlwaysBLU) – Recovering Value from Unavoidable Food Waste
• Aman Adatia (Fare Community) – Fare Community: Ingredients for a Zero-Waste, People-Driven Food Economy

Reuse is recognized as higher on the waste management hierarchy than recycling, but in practice has proven difficult to integrate and promote. We are proud to present a group of key innovators in this area.

Moderator: Brock Macdonald (Recycling Council of BC)

• Monika Wiela (Give Back Box)
• Tania Potts (Boomerang Bags)
• Carol Blaind and Ralph Torrie (Beyond the Blue Box) – Cobourg Reuse Centre

A country as vast as ours offers a variety of approaches to reducing waste, all of which offer lessons in implementing effective programs. Some key thought leaders will discuss their specific programs.

Moderator: Nick Day (GEEP Canada)

• Glenda Gies (Ontario Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority) – Accountability for a Circular Economy
• Allen Langdon (Recycle BC) – BC Update
• Julien Rosset (Stantec), Emmett MacLeod and John Longchap (Cree Nation of Mistissini)