Our Team

OUR TEAM

The Binners’ Project features a Core Group of Binners, a Steering Committee, and five staff members, including 2 binners. We also regularly provide practicum positions for students. It is a project on the Tides Canada Shared Platform.

OUR STAFF

Anna Godefroy - Director

Anna Godefroy holds a Masters Degree in Law from the University Jean Moulin de Lyon, France, and a double Postgraduate Degree in Education from the University of London, UK, and the University of British Columbia, Canada. By promoting recycling as a livelihood for the poorest, she feels the Binners’ Project is a small-scale example of how urban ecology matched with social inclusion will empower communities in the future.

Anna is the co-chair of Urban Core, a network of organisations working together towards increasing working and income-generating opportunities for low-income residents. She is also an active member of the Community Economic development strategic action committee (CEDSAC), a joint initiative between the City of Vancouver and local Downtown Eastside Organisations. Watch Anna's PeckaKucha presentation here.

Gabby Korcheva – Programs Manager

Gabby Korcheva has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of British Columbia and is a 2016 RADIUS Fellow. She is currently completing a Masters of Education degree in Adult Learning and Education at UBC.

Combining an interest in community engagement with social inclusivity and how it relates to marginalized populations, she is passionate about the intersection of environmental, economic, and social justice issues currently at play in the Binners’ Project.

As the Programs Manager for the Binners’ Project, her role involves new programs design, internal systems management for ongoing programs, and carrying out the day-to-day operations of the project.

Davin Boutang – Binner & Outreach Coordinator

Davin Boutang grew up in Winnipeg and studied English Literature at the University of Manitoba. Fighting drug addiction and poverty for most of his life, he became embedded in the binning and vending community shortly after moving to Vancouver in 1999.

He worked at bottle depot United We Can for six years and gained expertise in navigating the local informal economy. Davin joined the Binners' Project as a binner first in 2014, and then became a staff member in 2016.

He is working on an Universal cart sharing system for the Binners' Project, in partnership with the Community Economic development strategic action committee (CEDSAC), a joint initiative between the City of Vancouver and local Downtown Eastside Organisations.

Michael Leland – Binner & Outreach Coordinator

Michael Leland was a commercial fisherman in the Northern Territories of Canada for 20 years. He was in his early 30's when serious health problems prevented him for keeping his job.

Living in poverty and battling with addictions for most of his life, he found a sparkle when coming to a binners' meeting in 2015.

He immediately joined the team with the goal of supporting younger people living on the street and having to bin in order to survive. He is now a pillars of the Binners' Project and leads the weekly binners' meetings.

He is also a member of Urban Core, a network of organisations working together towards increasing working and income-generating opportunities for low-income residents.

Brianne De Man – Admin & Operations Coordinator

Brianne De Man received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English from the University of Alberta, and recently completed her Master of Public Health in Social Policy at the University of Victoria.

Brianne is passionate about social justice and creating healthier environments for our communities to live in. The Binners’ Project lives into these passions with its combined efforts in advocating for the legitimization of work for binners in Vancouver, as well as the ecological benefits binning has for the community.

In her role as the Administrative and Operations Coordinator, Brianne assists with the daily operations of the Binners’ Project, its programs, and community engagement initiatives.

BINNERS CORE GROUP

Selected binners carry out key contact and outreach tasks within the larger community and make strategic decisions on the direction of the Binners' Project.

Our Core Group members for the June - September 2017 term are: Sam Hamm, Kelly Angeconeb, Donna, and Rickie Araki

INTERNS

Our interns are provided by partner organisations and academic institutions.

Mario Viens – Web Developer & VCN Intern

Mario completed a web development bootcamp with Lighthouse Labs and is currently finishing an internship with the Binners' Project in partnership with the Vancouver Community Network.

He's currently developing a web app for the Binners' Project Pick-up program.

His professional developer profile can be found here.

Brandon Toews - Programs Coordinator & LED Lab Intern

Brandon Toews holds an MBA from SFU and has a background in the Arts. He is passionate about local business, social justice, intersectionality, human-centered design, and sustainability.

Brandon is developing and scaling the Binners' Project's new sorting initiative.

His internship with the Binners' Project was possible with the support of LED Lab.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers provide key supports in numerous areas of the Binners' Project.

Lani Brunn – Volunteer Photographer
Emerson Mellado – Volunteer Web Developer
Shane Frei – Volunteer Cart Designer
Chris Diplock – Volunteer Software Designer

We're always looking for people to help us! Interested in volunteering? Contact us.
We also accept STUDENTS that are interested in completing their practicum with the Binners' Project!
Please reach out and tell us about yourself.