About us
Green Communities Canada (GCC) has been a leading organization promoting active school travel for two decades. We do this through research, advocacy, resources, partnerships, and on-the-ground programming.
Our work is focused on the goal of making walking, cycling, and other forms of active, safe, and sustainable transportation the norm for trips to and from school.
Our Staff
(click on the photos to contact)
Nicole Roach
manager, sustainable transportation
Nicole leads the sustainable transportation programming at GCC, engaging with diverse stakeholders through various Ontario Active School Travel initiatives. She has worked in sustainable transportation for several years with a focus on commuting behaviours and community engagement. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys exploring by bicycle, photography, and cooking at home.
Xuedan Xu
coordinator, sustainable transportation
Xuedan supports the delivery of sustainable transportation programming at GCC and leads the development of annual walk and wheel campaigns. She is a graduate from the University of British Columbia, having obtained a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation. She has worked in the public sector, as well as with non-profit organizations, with a goal to improve the quality and accessibility of community engagement programs. In her spare time, Xuedan enjoys running, sewing, and hiking BC’s many mountains.
Sabat Ismail
School travel planning facilitator
Sabat is a Greater Toronto Area based School Travel Planner with Green Communities Canada. She has several years of experience advancing active transportation initiatives at various non-profits and municipalities. She is passionate about programming and art supporting engagement in active transportation.
Charlotte Estey
School travel planning facilitator
Charlotte facilitates School Travel Planning for the Toronto Catholic District School Board and supports communication initiatives for Ontario Active School Travel. She recently graduated from the master’s program in Human Ecology: Culture, Power and Sustainability at Lund University, Sweden, and is eager to support local solutions to the social and environmental crises of today’s world. When she’s not working, you might find her tending to her plants, cycling around Toronto, foraging for mushrooms, drawing, or listening to podcasts.
Learn more about the support and services we offer.
Our Partners
Our key provincial partners are committed to supporting active school travel through funding, research, advocacy campaigns and regional coordination:
- Heart and Stroke
- Canadian Automobile Association – South Central Ontario (CAASCO)
- Metrolinx
- Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA)
- Ontario Ministry of Education
- 8 80 Cities
- The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT)
- Human Environments Analysis Laboratory (HEAL)
- Cycle Toronto
- CultureLink
- Ophea
- EcoSchools Canada
- Canadian Cancer Society
GCC is also part of the Active School Travel Canada working group to connect the leading organizations for active school travel across Canada:
- Nova Scotia: Ecology Action Centre
- Quebec: Vélo Québec
- Ontario: Green Communities Canada
- Manitoba: Green Action Centre
- Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan in Motion
- Alberta: SHAPE
- British Columbia: BC Healthy Communities