Connecting Environmental Professionals Vancouver is a non-profit, volunteer-led organization dedicated to creating opportunities for young and emerging environmental and sustainability professionals.
Our History
CEP Vancouver was launched in 2002 and has grown to a thriving network of over 1000 sustainability and impact professionals from across British Columbia. CEP Vancouver board members and volunteers organize valuable programming, events and professional-development opportunities including an annual mentoring program.
Our Vision
To accelerate and inspire Vancouver’s environmental and sustainability professional’s ability to impact change.
Our Mission
CEP Vancouver provides forums which empower and enrich environmental and sustainability professionals.
Our Principles
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Education - CEP contributes to the education and improvement of the community by providing learning and development opportunities such as networking with other environmental professionals, monthly meetings, speaker sessions, workshops, and discussion forums.
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Engagement - CEP facilitates engagement by establishing a forum for young and emerging environmental professionals to build relationships and find opportunities for leadership in their communities.
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Employment - CEP supports employment by connecting students and professionals with employers, circulating job opportunities, developing mentorship programs, and hosting workshops.
Meet Our Board
Katelyn Smith, President
Katelyn has a master’s degree in Environment and Sustainability from Western University and a bachelor of commerce in Business from Toronto Metropolitan University. She specializes in circular economy solutions under the zero waste framework, and has worked to provide solutions that encourage sustainable use of materials and strategies to transition towards circular economy principles. Katelyn also has over seven years of property and development management experience within the commercial real estate industry. She grew up in Toronto and now lives in Vancouver where she enjoys exploring, hiking, and cycling as often as possible.
Gillian Orris, Co-Director of Events
Gill is an Environmental and Sustainability Consultant. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Business Leadership from BCIT and works with local businesses, government organizations, non-profits and social enterprises to help build tangible and achievable actions for climate solutions. Specializing in strategy, measurement, marketing, communications, programming, events and partnerships, Gill has supported both local and international sustainable and circular focussed projects, including her work with with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, OneEarth, Vancity and the Vancouver Economic Commission.
Aida Akbarkhani, Co-Director of Mentorship
Aida works as a Project Coordinator at Ledcor Group. She holds a BA in Applied Behavior Analysis from Capilano University and an Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Business Leadership from BCIT. Her education and interdisciplinary work have shaped her focus on addressing climate and sustainability issues through a behavioral lens. Aida is passionate about advancing sustainability through behavior change, by using behavioural principles to design positive and tangible solutions to target change on an individual and organizational level.
Sayemin Naheen, Co-Director of Mentorship
Sayemin is an empathic young sustainability professional who strives towards a more equitable and inclusive future. Sayemin works as an economic analyst with the Province of British Columbia, where she supports policy development on clean transportation. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Sayemin is deeply motivated by sustainable development and social justice. Her love for learning and empowering others has led her to work with diverse communities from non-profit, development, and education sectors across the globe. Sayemin holds a Masters of Arts in Economics from Simon Fraser University.
Theo Baker, Director of Marketing
Theo’s passion is transforming great ideas into realities with strong commercial success. He has a proven track record launching, incubating and managing game-changing brands across multiple sectors. Whilst focused primarily on the growth start-up space, he also has considerable advisory experience working with corporate, governmental and third sector organisations. Theo has a particular interest in how businesses can address climate and sustainability issues.
Felipe Camara, Co-Director of Communications
Felipe has a background in Public Relations, after working on several environmental education campaigns, he decided to shift his career towards a sustainability path. He obtained a Sustainability Management post-graduate degree, and a Master's degree in Environmental Science. His experience includes working with a range of environmental education, and research organizations. In addition to his role at CEP Vancouver, Felipe has worked as a journalist in Canada, and he currently works at a school for adults with austism as an Education Instructor.
Alastair MacCallum, Director of Finance
Originally from the UK, Alastair moved to Vancouver in 2017. He is the Waste Program Manager at QuadReal Property Group, where he is expanding the use of smart waste technology to reduce operational costs and increase waste diversion. After attending many CEP Vancouver events, and having been Treasurer for his local soccer team for several years, he decided to contribute his financial and administrative experience to the CEP Board. Away from work you can find him on the soccer pitch, tennis court or exploring the mountains around Vancouver.
Other CEP Chapters Across Canada
Connecting Environmental Professionals (CEP) is a national organization of local chapters dedicated to creating opportunities for emerging and established environmental and sustainability professionals. CEP was founded in 1997 in Toronto as Young Environmental Professionals (YEP Canada) and has expanded to include chapters in the National Capital Region (Ottawa-Gatineau), Calgary and, Vancouver. The organization completed its name change from YEP to CEP in 2013
Connect with your local CEP Chapter to join, find events in your area, and become part of a generation of leaders who are developing their environmental careers and contributing to sustainable communities.