Emilie is the EcoSchools Canada Program Coordinator and is driven to find ways that allow youth to understand issues in their communities and empower them to take action.

Nicole holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Communications from McMaster University and an M.Sc. in Sustainability Science, Policy, and Society from Maastricht University. She has worked in the field of sustainable transportation for several years, with a focus on commuting behaviours, community outreach, and children’s mobility.

Nicole manages the sustainable transportation programming at Green Communities Canada, overseeing Ontario Active School Travel, School Travel Planning, and co-leading the Canadian Electric School Bus Alliance with Équiterre. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys exploring cities by bicycle, urban photography, and cooking at home.

Gillian Petrini is the Healthy Environments for Learning Day (HELD) Project Coordinator for the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment. Gillian holds a BEd and MEd from the University of Victoria with a focus on environmental sciences and is a Forest School Practitioner with the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. Her background includes over 15 years in education from early years to adults, in classrooms and forests, on beaches and sailboats, both locally and abroad. For the past ten years, Gillian has also worked in numerous consulting roles with various organizations connecting young people to community and place through project management and curriculum development initiatives. Gillian is a grateful guest on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples.

Erin Silver is the author of several books for children, including middle grade non-fiction, fiction and picture books. Her most recent nonfiction title is Rush Hour: Navigating Our Global Traffic Jam, about the impact of traffic on people and the planet. Another climate title, Good Food Bad Waste: Let’s Eat for the Planet, will be available this spring. Several more books are on the way. Erin has also written articles for major magazines and newspapers across North America. She is a member of many professional associations and holds a degree in journalism and an MFA in creative nonfiction. Visit her online at ErinSilver.ca.

Cathy Nesbitt is a Health and Wellness Advocate. Founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters (est 2002), Cathy’s Sprouters and Cathy’s Laughter Club. She is a multi award-winning environmental innovator who uses workshops and inspirational speaking to motivate people to live a more sustainable life. Cathy is a certified Laughter Yoga Teacher.

Erin Wildeboer has been the Waste Diversion Program Liaison for Strathcona County for the past 15 years. Thinking outside the box (or waste cart!) is her specialty. Between throwing fun events, visiting over 45 classrooms every year, or running the community reuse centre, she is always coming up with new ideas on how to educate residents on the importance of waste reduction. Working with the 31 schools in Strathcona County is something Erin is passionate about. The EcoSchools program has been easy and fun to help schools participate in. Helping her former high school become Platinum certified has been a highlight. Watching teachers get excited and getting their students involved in everything from worms and bees, to food waste reduction and air quality inspires her. The kids are proud of the changes they make and we know those actions stick with them, creating amazing stewards for our Earth right in our own community.

Stephanie Alcock is a certified teacher and worked as an elementary teacher in the UK. Since moving to Calgary, Stephanie has worked in numerous environmental education roles and currently works as an Environmental Education Manager with Green Calgary. Stephanie is particularly interested in delivering the curriculum through environmental topics and recently gained a post graduate certificate in Outdoor, Environmental and Sustainability Education from the University of Edinburgh.

Emilie is the EcoSchools Canada Program Coordinator and is driven to find ways that allow youth to understand issues in their communities and empower them to take action.

Nadège détient un baccalauréat en biologie ainsi que 2 maîtrises en environnement. Depuis 2019, elle travaille comme conseillère en gestion des matières résiduelles chez Synergie Laurentides. Elle accompagne aux changements de pratiques les industries, commerces et institutions (ICI) de la MRC de Deux-Montagnes, près de Montréal. Elle a aidé à développer plusieurs outils destinés spécifiquement aux ICI, écoles incluses, afin de les aider avec le tri adéquat de leurs déchets, recyclage et compost. En plus d’une solide expérience en environnement, elle a de l’expérience en restauration, gestion d’organismes communautaires et formation de personnel et bénévoles. Nathalie a un baccalauréat en Études environnementales et Géographie de l’Université d’Ottawa. Depuis plus de 20 ans, elle travaille dans le domaine de l’éducation environnementale en Ontario et plus récemment au Québec. Depuis, 2018 elle occupe le poste de Conseillère en gestion des matières résiduelles auprès des Institutions, Commerces et Industries (ICI) sur le territoire de la MRC des Laurentides. Elle a pour mandat de les aider à optimiser le tri des matières recyclables et instaurer le compost dans le cadre du projet Mission Recyclage Compostage. Elle travaille aussi avec les écoles afin de les aider à instaurer des pratiques écoresponsables, pour une bonne gestion de leurs matières résiduelles.

Nathalie et Nadège partageront une méthode pour la mise en place de la collecte de compost à l’école qui sera appuyée par des exemples d’accompagnement et de diagnostic de matières résiduelles qu’elles ont effectué dans des écoles dans le cadre du projet Mission Recyclage Compostage. Elles partageront aussi des ressources pour aider les écoles: démarrer une Brigade verte, activités pédagogiques, liste des étapes à suivre…

Kirsten Hodge is the Director of the Pacific Museum of Earth, one the main outreach hubs at the University of British Columbia. She is a thinker, planner, and conduit between science experts and young minds. Trained as volcanologist and science educator, her current work aims to encourage critical thinking and reflection and inspire curiosity in her students and public visitors to the Pacific Museum of Earth, while inviting them to discover the value of science, not only in terms of knowledge acquisition but also aesthetic wonder. Her goal is to share science stories so that people feel more connected to our planet and their place within it.

Brenda Shivanandan (she/her) is the Lead Design and project manager of Steamlabs, a non-profit focused on developing science, technology, and AI educational experiences for science centers, museums, and other non-profits. As an educator, visual designer, and maker, her goal is to continue to work with communities to make AI knowledge convenient and comprehensible. By encouraging a broad understanding of AI, she believes that participants will not only be empowered to use AI as a useful tool, but also advocate for equitable, ethical, fair, and accountable policies from companies and governments.

Alysse is a Doctoral Candidate at OISE researching environmental & sustainability education and climate justice. As a guest on Turtle Island she’s enthusiastic about Indigenous approaches to storying learning. Over the last six years she’s had incredible experiences teaching, researching and organizing programming specific to environmental and sustainability education and climate action. She’s thrilled to bring her skills and knowledge from past and ongoing work with the Toronto District School Board’s EcoSchools team, the OISE Sustainability & Climate Action Network, EcoSchools Canada, EcoSchools in Alberta, EECOM and the ESE-TE National Network. Alysse is a firm advocate for cross-curricular, creative and community-engaged learning as she believes teaching needs to be relevant, accessible and meaningful. She enjoys finding unique approaches to encourage educators to find the multifaceted ways we each connect to and make meaning of sustainability in our personal and professional lives. Aleksa Nitsis is a guest on Turtle Island and is the Program Manager for Natural Curiosity. Aleksa is an Ontario-certified history and geography high school teacher who is a recent graduate of the Master of Teaching program at OISE. As a passionate educator committed to the equity, mental health, and achievement of students, she has supported transformative and inquiry-based professional learning opportunities for the past two years as a Program/Graduate Assistant for Natural Curiosity. Aleksa is thrilled to unlearn and relearn alongside educators across Turtle Island to bring the importance of Indigenous perspectives into the heart of education, in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation.

Sam Gawron (she/her) is the Manager of Programs, Engagement and Development at Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF). Sam helps LSF empower Canadian students to change the world by engaging with all levels of our education system, including governments, school Boards, educators, and students across the country. She thinks every student from K-12 deserves to learn more about sustainability and climate change and have opportunities to make change. When she’s not travelling to other provinces to run LSF’s programs, Sam lives in Toronto where she likes cooking, rock climbing, and taking long walks along the waterfront.

Inside Education is an Alberta-based environment and natural resource education charitable society. We have been supporting teachers and inspiring students to think critically about natural resource topics since 1985! With our full suite of no-cost teaching resources, youth summits, in-class and field programs, and full-scholarship professional development programs, Inside Education makes experiential environmental education accessible to schools across Alberta. Natalie Graveline is an Education Programs Lead based in Edmonton and her professional passion is sharing her excitement about nature with students! She has a background in Conservation Biology and Secondary Education and has found her dream job in a place where she can be the fun class guest and teach the topics she loves the most. Born and raised in Alberta, Natalie loves the summer in Edmonton, cats, camping, and knitting, and her favourite field trip activity is pond dipping! Laura Pekkola is an Education Programs Lead based in Edmonton. Her passion in environmental and natural resource education is connecting students to their communities and the natural world through experiences. She found her place in environmental education as the perfect way to share her background in Wildlife Biology, Forest Ecology and Environmental Management with students, and get them excited about nature. Having grown up in Ontario and Finland before arriving in Alberta, Laura loves to learn about Alberta’s landscapes both with students at work as well as on her own time walking her dogs and camping.

Dwight Peigan is Relay Education’s workshop facilitator for Saskatchewan. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the First Nations University of Canada. In his free time, Dwight enjoys writing, fishing, hiking and playing with his son, Colin. Dwight is passionate about nature and the outdoors. He strongly believes that education is the foundation of success and encourages youth to find classes that pique their interest and align with their passions and values.

Dana Buchbinder (Citizen Science Coordinator) is a member of the Citizen Science Association. She graduated in 2012 with a Masters of Environmental Management degree from Duke University. Her citizen science research includes the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (Ontario Nature), community air sensors (U.S. EPA), and Delaware StreamWatch (Ashland Nature Center). Dana leads EcoSpark’s School Watch and Park Watch programs.

Sara Kuruvilla (Environmental Education Coordinator) has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology and an advanced diploma in Ecosystem Management Technology, with an Indigenous Perspectives Designation. Sara believes it is vital to engage communities with their local natural spaces. Using her OBBN certification and knowledge of freshwater ecosystems, Sara now coordinates the Changing Currents program.

Ian Shanahan’s combined passions of nature, education, art, writing, editing, and storytelling have led him to Green Teacher, where he became the General Editor in 2018. This role has gradually expanded to include webinar hosting, podcast co-hosting, and the facilitating of PD sessions on climate change and biodiversity education. Across 13 seasons with Ontario Parks, Ian worked as a naturalist at Presqu’ile for eight years, a Species at Risk surveyor at Charleston Lake for one year, and a naturalist at Algonquin for four years, the last of which was spent backfilling as the coordinator of Algonquin’s renowned interpretive program. Concurrently, he completed his BAH at Queen’s University and then his BEd at the University of Toronto before becoming an Ontario Certified Teacher. Off the corner of his desk, Ian works as a voice actor, nature artist, writer, environmental consultant, and nature guide.

Mireille travaille avec l’équipe de Restauration et régénération en tant que Spécialiste associée en Action communautaire au WWF-Canada. Elle mène le programme de subventions Libérez votre nature à l’école, qui offre aux écoles la possibilité de lancer un projet de protection ou de restauration d’habitat dans leur communauté.