#MeetTheTeam – Stephanie Yates
It’s time to discover and learn more about the people behind Zero Waste Europe’s work and magic! In this edition of our #MeetTheTeam series, we sat down with Stephanie Yates, our Head of Network & Movement Building, who has been at Zero Waste Europe since March 2022.
How did you come to join Zero Waste Europe?
In late 2021, I was working in a similar role for a European women’s rights NGO, but I was ready for a new challenge and saw this opportunity come up at ZWE. To be honest, one of the reasons I joined was because of Esra Tat, ZWE’s Executive Director. Esra and I had met a few times before, as we had similar roles back then (and Brussels is tiny!), and I always thought she’d be great to work with. Of course, the role was also interesting, with more strategic oversight of member engagement and network development, and I was excited to work in the environmental sector.
Up until then, I’d mainly been working in social justice-focused NGOs, and even if climate justice was part of my activist life, I’d never worked in the sector. It seemed like perfect timing.
What motivated you to work for a zero waste Europe?
Esra often says ‘’I came for the cause, I stayed for the people’’. 🙂 For me, I think I came for the people, and then stayed for both the cause and the people.
Before joining, I didn’t have a long history of working in zero waste, and some of the technical and policy topics seemed quite far away from my own work experience. But I was keen to work on environmental and climate justice issues, and it was exciting for me to join a network focused on an issue that is so present in people’s everyday lives and yet rarely connected to the wider environmental and socio-economic crisis.
It was also clear to me that in our network, zero waste is about wider system change, to protect our planet and all living beings on it, instead of looking at the waste crisis in isolation. It was this vision and commitment that pulled me to this role and the organisation.
What would you say is the most interesting part of your job?
First and foremost, it’s the people I meet, work with, and learn from, whether it’s our members across Europe, the team here in Brussels, or the global colleagues and members from around the world, whom I’ve gotten to work with thanks to our global alliance GAIA. People in this movement have so much knowledge and experience, as well as dedication and generosity.
Another interesting part of my role is leading our annual members’ meeting. And while it’s a recurring project and thus could feel repetitive, it’s actually quite different each year, because it involves different people, topics, places, needs, and challenges. And for me, the most important thing is making sure that this annual moment is a space for learning, connections, growth, and new strategies, as well as a place where people can resource themselves and find joy and hope.
What would you say is your greatest professional achievement while working at ZWE?
Over the last three years, we’ve worked on a project with five of our national zero waste alliances to strengthen their platforms and learn from their work. This work culminated in the publication of our Blueprint for Movement Building last October, and while it was not an easy task to pull it together, it was a real collective effort with our alliances and the team, especially Esra and Giulia. I am proud of this work and its results.
What are the biggest challenges that you face in your work?
The state of the world is scary and can feel really hopeless and cruel for many. And within this wider context, many of our members face challenges of various scales, and it’s challenging for us when we cannot always find the right ways to support them. On top of this, like so many people working in NGOs, grassroots groups, or, more broadly, those active in social and climate justice movements, we know that the work is never truly finished, and this can be hard at times.
The goals are systemic, which means there is always more to do, from big-picture strategies and battles to lead to the everyday tasks and admin that keep things moving. So it can be difficult to celebrate the small wins and ‘baby’ steps – even though they really matter – when the bigger goals sometimes still feel far away. But working together and supporting each other is what keeps us going!
What is an aspect of your work that you find fun?
I’d probably say working with the team and our members to put ‘fun’ into our meetings, time together, and comms work. We have a lovely culture within the network – we work and think hard, but we also want to have nice moments together – and it’s key to keep this culture alive and ensure that lightness and fun always have a space. For example, our annual members’ meeting always ends with a ‘cultural’ night where we organise games, and people can show their talents through music, poetry or anything they wish. It’s always a party, and everyone leaves with a smile, whether they are extraverted or not!
In your view, how can grassroots movements help create a Europe built on the principles of sufficiency, wellbeing and resilience?
The solutions need to come from the ground up, and grassroots organising is one way of ensuring this happens. A Europe built top-down is not a Europe for all, and it is especially not a Europe that will protect the people facing the greatest disadvantages, nor one that protects the environment. I think movements, alliances, and grassroots groups are also best placed to connect the issues, ensuring that we not only fight for a better society, but that the solutions we propose connect all the dots and do not cause harm elsewhere.
I am an ecofeminist at heart, because for me it is essential that we look at the world and where we want to go through this interconnected lens and approach. As the US activist and author Starhawk says: ‘’We cannot change the world alone. To heal ourselves, to restore the earth to life, to create the situations in which freedom can flourish, we must work together in groups.’’
Looking ahead, which developments or priorities will you be focusing on in your work?
In the next few months, my priority is to plan and host the network meeting, which is taking place in Slovenia in May. At the same time, we’re continuing our movement building work, so that we can keep updating our Blueprint for Movement Building with learnings and stories from our members, and connect with other groups across different struggles to continue learning together and building bridges. We’re also finalising a set of environmental justice principles for ZWE, and it will be great to see how to make this practical for our team and members.
Are there any other resources or topics that you want to highlight?
If you want to get a sense of who we are as a movement, watch this short video, And after, I encourage you to go check out all the amazing work that our network does across Europe and worldwide.
Want to learn more about Stephanie and her work? You can reach out to her at [email protected]
