Thank you so much everyone for joining us in this beautiful forest to celebrate Burnaby’s Environment Week!
Ada, Alexis, Andrew, Anwar, Atsuko, Brandon, Cleo, Daniel, Devin, Etsuko, Heikal, Hsiang-Ling, Jane, Joshita, Kore, Kurtis, Lorena, Lorraine, Mahboubeh, Mark, Michael, Mike, Nasrin, Nicolas, Nobu, Polly, Roy, Ryan, Fern, Sarah, Shiyue, Sook, Suzie, Sydney, Trevor, Winter, & Yin Kiu!
We had a great time under the sun at the second of two activities
celebrating Burnaby’s Environment Week at the Cariboo Heights Forest!
Keep reading for our impacts, highlights, and more from the day!
Impacts
- 38 community members were engaged!
- 18 participants visited the Cariboo Heights Forest for the first time
- 13 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 119 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 5.5 cubic metres (34 bathtubs!) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry, Herb Robert, and other invasives were removed amongst native plants like Salmonberry that will begin to thrive in the new space we created!
Highlights
- This was the second of two activities organized by the LMGT and City of Burnaby to celebrate Burnaby Environment Week and support the protection of Canada’s natural spaces!
- The Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society (CHFPS), who co-led this activity with us, has been stewarding this space and runs a variety of educational programming and environmental initiatives in the forest here!
- You can find out ways to get involved with these activities and the CHFPS on the CHFPS website here!
- A big congratulations to CHFPS Co-President Aruna who was recognized by the City of Burnaby as a 2025 Environmental Star!
- Our work helped build on previous restoration initiatives here by the LMGT and CHFPS! Read about our last activities here below:
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland, including from Burnaby, New Westminster, Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, Langley, Coquitlam, Surrey, & Port Moody!
- Among those who joined were first timers trying something new, secondary school students, working professionals, & returning LMGTers! We even welcomed newcomers to Canada from as far as Iran and Australia who were so excited to join us for the first time!
- The native Salmonberries were ripening all around us!
- We had tasty snacks including fresh apples, carrots & hummus, brownies, granola bars & more!
- Special thank you to:
- Cory, Mike, Lorena, & Michael for helping to set up & pack up snack!
- Andrew, Anwar, Fern, Roy, & others for helping to pack up at the end of the activity!
- Everyone for coming out to connect with community around a positive cause, learn about invasive plants, and become a part of the efforts to steward this special place!
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to the City of Burnaby’s Planning Department for providing financial support and direction to make these celebrations as part of Burnaby Environment Week possible! Be sure to check out the other activities you can join!
Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.
We’ll also be running several litter cleanups in partnership with the City this year, check out the activities below to get involved in these Burnaby neighbourhoods!
Collaborator
THANK YOU to Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society for co-leading this wonderful celebration of the environment with us! CHFPS works for the preservation of a large second growth forest, located south of the Brunette River. They are a diverse fun group working on many projects to improve & protect this forest!
Find out ways to get involved with this organization and give back to the community on their website here, or reach out directly by e-mailing: burnabys.secretforest@gmail.com
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporters!
Lush for providing their fantastic shower gels & body conditioner with natural ingredients, sustainable packaging, made in Canada!
Green Beaver for providing their amazing 100% natural maple lip balm for community participants to take home. Green Beaver has great made in Canada products working to help people access a natural and healthier lifestyle, while contributing to a more sustainable world!
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton Kerr. Your support makes a difference!
Why We Do This Work
The Lower Mainland Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada.
We believe in the transformative power of hands-on environmental activities to empower individuals and strengthen communities.
Through initiatives like invasive plant removals, tree plantings, litter clean-ups and more, we not only foster connections among participants but also deepen their relationship with nature. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety while enhancing mood, focus, and overall mental and physical health.
Our activities are designed to be inclusive, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and skill levels.
What sets us apart is we attract a wide mix of young community members who may not otherwise spend time outside, igniting their passion for nature and environmental care.
We are committed to instilling an environmental ethic that leads to lasting behaviour change. We aim to create a sense of belonging and connection to place, encouraging participants to recognize their ability to make a meaningful impact.
Together, we can all make a difference. Join us as we build a brighter, greener future for everyone!
Staff Who Made This Activity Possible
Our staff work hard to run high-quality community activities. Outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and more – they do it all!
Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team’s Program Manager led this activity with support from Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager who plays a key role in building the partnerships that make these activities possible!