AT GCC, we believe our model which honours, mobilizes, and builds the knowledge and capacity found within communities. We believe our model is and should be rooted in an environmental justice framework. We understand the climate crisis is also a crisis of inequity and disparity. Our programs advance equitable and healthy communities through nature-based solutions, sustainable mobility, and more.

Our green infrastructure programming is advancing nature-based solutions in cities, towns, and Indigenous communities across the country. We envision communities from coast to coast where green infrastructure—wetlands and woodlands, tree-lined streets, parks, bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs and permeable pavements—is equitable, abundant, and thriving

Introducing green infrastructure and wildlife habitats to our urban communities helps create thriving homes for more species, improving biodiversity and the benefits nature provides to our communities. When we develop cities, we replace natural vegetation and soils with hardened surfaces, like buildings, roads, and parking lots. This interrupts the natural functions the land used to provide—such as absorbing and purifying stormwater, filtering the air, providing habitat to animals and pollinators, regulating temperature, and more. Losing these natural functions makes our cities more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, like flooding and extreme heat. It also makes our cities less sustainable, healthy, and joyous places to live.

Walking, cycling, and other forms of active transportation and accessible mobility infrastructure play an essential role in addressing Canada’s challenges related to climate change, congestion, affordability, public health, safety, and equity. All levels of government have a leadership role to play investing in active transportation. Through our Sustainable Mobility programming, Green Communities Canada and our member organizations are leading the movement to improve mobility and safety for active transportation users across Canada.

Over 11 million homes across Canada need to be be retrofitted to reduce fossil fuel emissions and improve energy efficiency, affordability, and resiliency. In 2025, Green Communities Canada released our 2025 National Progress Report on Retrofitting Canada's Homes. We analyzed data from 605,283 retrofits. These retrofits were completed from 2020 to the end of 2024 and reported through the EnerGuide Rating System. These retrofits created some 75,000 jobs, removed pollution equivalent to 200,000 fossil fuel cars, and will save homeowners approximately $3.8 billion in energy bills over the next 20 years. That said, at this pace, it will take over 100 years to retrofit all of Canada's homes – we only have until 2050. We need to move faster & deeper.

The iconic yellow school buses that have been transporting children to school for nearly a century have generally been powered by fossil fuels. These buses are a significant part of Canada’s transport sector, which overall contributes 25% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The school buses that put our children on the road to academic success should not also diminish their chances at a bright and clean future because of air and noise pollution.

The Canadian Electric School Bus Alliance (CESBA) develops strategies and recommendations that accelerate the electrification of school buses across Canada. Our goal: for Canada’s existing 51,000 school buses to be zero emission by 2040.