Derek Long, Executive Director
Derek Long has a track record of entrepreneurism and program development in government, for profit and non-profit sectors. Most recently he co-founded Sustainable Connections in 2001 and is the current Executive Director. Derek was the Program & Development Director from 2001 to 2009 where he started and grew many key programs and initiatives as well as holding the primary responsibility of funding the organization.
Derek served as the first co-National Coordinator of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) from 2001 to 2003, a national alliance of local business networks. BALLE’s mission is to create, strengthen and connect local business networks dedicated to building strong Local Living Economies.
In 1999, Derek co-founded Viatru (formerly World2Market.com), as a company to create opportunities for consumers to shop for products consistent with their values. This Fair Trade retail services firm helped companies source products from organizations that were leading the world in progressive business practices that included environmental protection, worker participation and pay, as well as charitable giving within their communities.
Derek’s position with the Federal Reserve Bank from 1997 to 1999 involved the management of multiple financial and logistical systems, developing productive interdepartmental working relationships and driving a vision of the Bank's developing role as an industry leader in electronic payments. He also had a successful first career in marketing and sales management with Rhone-Poulenc-Rorer. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with honors from the University of Toledo in 1991.
Derek currently serves on the Waterfront Advisory Group, was a member of the Countywide Affordable Housing Task Force and served six years on the Board of Directors of the Community Food Co-op. He hikes, bikes, camps, runs, skis and essentially spends as much time as possible with his wife Michelle (BALLE Executive Director) and young daughter Hadley “Lulu” Long, for fun.
Michelle Grandy, Communications and Think Local First Manager
Michelle Grandy completed her degree in Communication from Western Washington University right here in beautiful Bellingham and hasn’t been able to stop talking yet which very well suits her role as Communications and Think Local First Program Manager. Michelle holds great admiration and love in her heart for local businesses having spent twelve years before coming to Sustainable Connections working for a locally owned print shop as a graphic designer and then as a marketing analyst for the oldest independently owned grocer in Washington State. She also dips her toes in the pool of local business ownership as the other half of EVL Enterprises.
When not too busy chatting about the benefits of Thinking Local First and of being a member of Sustainable Connections she can be found riding her bike, out on the soccer field, or completing her next DIY home improvement project.
Nick Hartrich, Green Building & Smart Growth Program Manager, LEED AP, CSBA
Nick Hartrich serves as the Green Building & Smart Growth Program Manager for Sustainable Connections. He is responsible for coordinating program development to the NW Washington Branch of the Cascadia Green Building Council. He is experienced in green building certification programs such as the Living Building Challenge, LEED, BuiltGreen and ENERGY STAR. Nick is uniquely talented at facilitating vibrant and valuable educational events, workshops, tours and design charrettes with the ability to creatively engage government, industry and neighborhood advocates. Nick has been intimately involved with the creation and implementation of the TZWI and has helped to transform construction waste recycling across Whatcom County.
Before joining Sustainable Connections, Nick worked with Portland, OR based environmental and efficiency firm ECOS Consulting. At ECOS, Nick served as a lighting lead for the ENERGY STAR lighting program for the Puget Sound and NW Washington area which included collaboration with Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish PUD, Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power providing showroom and builder training, technical assistance, lighting design and energy analysis. Engaging contractors and developers in energy efficient construction practices during a boom and build market challenged Nick to confront traditional approaches to bringing green building mainstream.
In 2003, Nick joined the BIA of Whatcom County and played an instrumental role in the development and facilitation of Whatcom County’s first residential green building program (BuiltGreen) by leveraging ENERGY STAR partners and programs. He actively participated as a member of the BuiltGreen Washington advisory committee and acted as staff lead to the Master Remodelers Council.
Nick is a LEED Accredited Professional and a certified Sustainable Building Advisor. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication at Western Washington University in 2002. He currently serves on the City of Bellingham's Design Review Board, the Board of Directors for ReUse Works and the York Neighborhood Association Board. With the last few moments in the day, Nick volunteers with Conservation NW and directs grassroots events for Wildlife Media and BEARTREK.
Alex Ramel, Policy & Energy Manager
Alex Ramel joined Sustainable Connections in 2008. In his new position as Policy and Energy Manager, Alex will facilitate the implementation of clean, renewable and efficient energy strategies.
He comes to SC from ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability where he helped dozens of local governments conduct baseline greenhouse gas emissions inventories. He was one of the lead authors of the Local Government Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which is the nationally recognized standard for emissions quantification. He has developed or supported the development of many local climate action plans, identifying the most effective steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to that he worked for the City of Bellinghamʼs Office of Environmental Resources where he developed Bellinghamʼs Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Local Climate Protection Plan, and worked closely with Sustainable Connections to implement the Bellingham Green Power Community Challenge. He received a degree in Environmental Policy and Planning from Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment in 2005.
Alex also serves as the Vice President and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees at Kulshan Community Land Trust, on the Whatcom Community College / Bellingham Technical College Worker Retraining Advisory Committee and on the Board of the Whatcom County Conservation Voters.
Laura Ridenour, Food & Farming Program Manager
Laura Ridenour is passionate about the way of life that surrounds food and farming. Her upbringing on a farm in rural Tennessee and within the natural foods industry in Northern California led to her commitment to sustainable food systems work, and advancing the environmental, social and economic viability of direct-market food and agriculture ventures. Laura has worked with and for numerous alternative agriculture and food-based NGOs as a staff member, board member and volunteer for over fourteen years. Most recently, while living in Fort Collins, Colorado, Laura helped initiate a regional BALLE chapter, facilitated a food system assessment project, co-created and funded the first local food map, served on a state-wide committee to form a food policy council, and coordinated food and farming networking events. She holds a B.A. in Food Systems and Social Change from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture and Organic Farming from the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Laura’s (in process) Masters in Sociology thesis examines how key food system players share knowledge about the local food movement in Larimer County, Colorado.
While she is new to Whatcom County, Laura is already falling in love with the warm people and the bounty of the landscape. When not gardening, canning, cooking or sharing meals, Laura can be found writing at a local coffee shop, dancing, exploring by bike, sailing, or geeking out on natural history, photography and architecture.
Mariah Ross, Sustainable Business Development Manager
Mariah Ross is passionate about the successful integration of sustainable practices into business. She has worked in both her professional and volunteer life as a change agent to bring about these practices in business. Before joining SC in the fall of 2009, Mariah was the Sustainability Director with a local electronics company who is a leader in the community in showing how recycling can be successfully implemented in both office and manufacturing spaces. Mariah also has a successful sales and marketing background and has enjoyed working as an intrapraneur to develop new business units in her career so far. She is so excited to switch her focus with business and sustainability into the local community.
Since 2006 Mariah has served as the Green Chair for the Ski to Sea race committee leading the creation of a successful recycling program for all of Ski to Sea weekend and creating a carbon offset program for all racers. While not at work, Mariah loves the outdoors and can be found mt. biking, hiking or gardening in the warmers months and skiing in winter. She also has a passion for singing, cooking and yoga.
April Claxton, Office & Volunteer Coordinator
April Claxton first joined the SC team as a volunteer. The team so appreciated her work that it wasn't long before she had a desk of her own. While volunteering for SC she also worked as the manager for a local outdoor adventure business where she gained a huge appreciation for what it means to run a local business. Prior to moving to Bellingham, April worked for a variety of non-profits on the East Coast and in Montana. While there she coordinated campaigns, developed and oversaw large volunteer programs and honed her skills and love for systems and working behind the scenes to help organizations be as productive as possible. Her time away from the Northwest also made her appreciate the area and she is very happy to be back and to be making a home in Bellingham.
Laura Rogers, Events Coordinator
Laura Rogers , a native of Portland and the Pacific Northwest, completed her BA in Teaching and English in 2005 at Whitworth College in Spokane. A year later she ventured down to La Paz, Bolivia for her first official teaching position at an international school. Laura was no stranger to world travel, as she has spent time working and traveling in France, Guadeloupe, and, Sitka, Alaska. Post-Bolivia, Laura returned to Portland and began searching for a career in event planning.
A fortuitous turn of events landed her at the American Cancer Society in 2007 and she began work as their Events Manager. Laura quickly learned the ins and outs of planning large and small gatherings, casual and done-up affairs, fundraising fetes, and the various tricks of the event trade. After some research, Sustainable Connections became the obvious choice of where these event skills would be applied next. The SC mission and principles aligned so well with Laura's personal belief system and passion. Laura is thrilled to be a part of SC and is settling into the lovely city of Bellingham.
When not planning and scheming, Laura enjoys cooking, gardening, playing her fiddle, writing and literature, being in the mountains, riding her bike, being with friends and family, and being crafty!
Abby Hade Terpstra, Membership Assistant
Abby Hade Terpstra is thrilled to make the side-step from volunteer to employee at SC. She found the organization shortly after moving to Bellingham in 2006 and has been spending time there ever since. A born-and-raised Midwesterner, Abby got her degree in Outdoor Education: Natural History on the shores of Lake Superior before heading out for adventures in Vermont and Washington. Her career path has lead her from tallgrass prairie naturalist to insect zoo director, from AmeriCorps environmental educator to Community Land Trust assistant, from organic produce deliverer to wilderness therapy logistics coordinator. Abby tributes her roots – first jobs include pulling weeds in her mother’s garden and sweeping construction sites for her father’s green building company – to her commitment to a healthy, sustainable, and community-oriented lifestyle.
When not reveling in organization using color coding, alphabetical order or size differentiation, Abby can be found taking brisk walks or slow hikes, pouring over cookbooks for new ideas, gawking at huge mountains and tall trees, reading, keeping up with her family, and trying out any manner of new hobbies.
Nancy Orlowski, Energy Program Assistant
Eva Agudelo, Food & Farming VISTA
Eva Agudelo, a New England transplant, recently completed her BA at Mt Holyoke College where she focused on the intersections of local government, small-scale agriculture and social movements. At different points during the past five years she has worked as a gardener, in the produce department of the Putney Food Co-op, for an indigenous human rights organization and as program support for community-based learning programs. As the new Food and Farming VISTA for SC, Eva will be working specifically on the Whatcom Farm Incubator, growing new farmers so they can grow for you!
In her spare time Eva likes to knit, make sock monkeys and circuses, and consume sci-fi pop culture of all sorts. She is a recent, if somewhat shaky, bicycle convert and is rapidly falling in love with Bellingham!
Emily Reisman, Energy Program VISTA
Emily Reisman joined Sustainable Connection in the fall of 2009 after earning a degree in Environmental Studies and International Studies at Washington University in St Louis. She recently completed a study of environmental decision making in the restaurant industry and has a deep interest in creating environmental change by working with business owners from the ground up. Emily also loves to travel and has lived abroad in Cameroon and France, as well as in Denver, St Louis, New York and Hawaii.
She is new to the area and excited to be in beautiful Bellingham kicking off the Community Energy Challenge!
With all her extra energy, Emily enjoys playing music, growing/cooking delicious food, riding her bright orange bike, and exploring the great outdoors.
Martin Selch, Energy Conservation Engineer
Martin joined Sustainable Connections in 2009 as the Commercial Conservation Specialist for our new Energy Efficiency Challenge program. Martin’s diverse background includes Peace Corps service in Africa and renewable energy work in South America, both of which provided Martin with a global perspective on resource consumption. He most recently spent two years designing solar power systems for a local Bellingham firm, and for five years was the technical administrator for large utility commercial building recommissioning program, helping to reduce energy consumption and expenditures in dozens of commercial buildings. Martin’s undergraduate degree is in mechanical engineering, with post-graduate study in energy conservation and renewable energy.
Martin enjoys hiking, reading, rebuilding his old house, and spending time with his family, and can be seen bicycling around Bellingham, rain or shine.
Click here for staff contact information and for a listing of Board members and Advisory Councils.
Though we have a bias for ACTION - we also try to think deeply...
