Welcome Emma, Reuse Bend Coordinator
We’re thrilled to welcome Emma Yetter (she/her) into a brand new part-time position as the Reuse Bend Coordinator. In this role, Emma will be helping implement the Rethink Waste Project’s Reuse Bend initiative, helping move Central Oregon’s food service sector from single-use serviceware to reusables.
About Emma: Emma joined The Environmental Center part-time as the Reuse Bend Coordinator in May of 2025. In addition to this role, Emma works as a substitute teacher, nanny, and Farm Educator with Seed to Table Farm. Before moving to Bend in 2020, she worked in outdoor education and regenerative agriculture on farms and nature centers in Kentucky, Ohio, and Maine. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Transylvania University in Kentucky. Outside of work, Emma spends her time rock climbing, knitting, camping, reading, making music, and baking. After almost five years in Bend, Emma feels very at home in Central Oregon and is excited to continue growing her community through TEC.
We asked Emma a few questions to get to know her better and welcome her to the TEC community!
What drew you to this role?
Since moving to Bend in 2020, most of my work has been purely functional. In other words, it’s made it possible for me to pay my bills and rock climb as much as possible! But I’ve known for a while that I would like to make my way back to work that aligns with my interests and values. When I learned that TEC was hiring a Reuse Bend Coordinator, it sounded like the perfect mix of some of the things I enjoy most – sustainability, community outreach, and content creation. I can’t wait to grow in this role and bring my passions for the Bend community and the natural environment to the Reuse Bend Program!
What is your favorite season in Bend and why?
I’ve always loved warm weather (hiking, swimming, camping, etc.), but since becoming a climber, I’ve learned to love winters in Bend the best! Believe it or not, cold (like, 30’s!) and sunny days are ideal for trying hard at Smith Rock, and since it’s a well-kept secret that winter is Smith’s best climbing season, the park is less crowded in November through April. It’s hard to beat a session at Morning Glory wall with the other local climbers on a sunny January day.
What’s been the best day of your life thus far?
What a tough question! I feel lucky to be able to say that I’ve had lots of amazing days. One favorite that I’ll mention here is the day I landed in Australia for a semester abroad during my junior year of college. I loved my English major but had been feeling burned out and was questioning my career trajectory. I decided to take a chance and study science while abroad, choosing a Rainforest Studies program with the School for Field Studies in Far North Queensland. I was terrified to be so far from my family and friends for three whole months (a first for me!), and worried that I would struggle with the course work, having always identified strongly as a humanities kind of gal. But driving up to the field school through the Atherton Tablelands with lots of new, eager, and equally nervous faces was exhilarating. I knew that the hardest part – getting on the plane! – was behind me, and I was psyched. To me, that day signifies the beginning of my journey with sustainability, travel, adventure, and connecting with my intuition.
If you had to eat one meal forever, what would it be?
Another tough one! I truly love most foods and would be super bummed to choose just one meal for the rest of my life. But since you asked…
Ok, hear me out. My current hyper-fixation breakfast consists of bacon, crispy purple cabbage, pan-fried sweet potatoes, a runny egg, a drizzle of tahini, and some chili crisp. It’s SO good! I’d go so far as to say it’s good enough to be my forever meal.