Thank you to everyone who participated in our very first activity at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum!
Ada, Aya, Cal, Darcie, Divjot, Elvis, Fairy Wei, Francis, Gary, Guangwen, Haiyan, Heather, Hong, Icy, Ivy, Jennifer K., Jennifer H., Jennifer H., Julia, Kathy, Leslie, Mona, Mukul, Peter, Prabhjot, Priya, Qianwen, Qianying, Rachel, Rutika, Victoria, Steven, and Yanghee!
Great weather set the stage for a great day! We had a ton of fun removing Himalayan Blackberry and Small Balsam from the Arboretum!
Impacts
- 33 community members were engaged
- 23 participants visited the Derek Doubleday Arboretum for the first time
- 13 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 98 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 6 cubic metres (37 bathtubs) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry and Small Balsam was removed, including many big blackberry root crowns that are so important to preventing regrowth!
- 175 square metres of habitat was revitalized!
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Langley, Surrey, Coquitlam, and Burnaby!
- Our activities are designed to foster a sense of community that extends beyond municipal borders. By engaging community members from across the region, we are reminded that we are part of a larger, interconnected community and have a shared responsibility of creating a cleaner, healthier environment regardless of where we call home!
Highlights
- This was our first time working at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, we’re so excited to begin contributing in a new place here in Langley!
- Participants learned that the Arboretum also has a natural dyers garden, a birding garden, dedicated savannah sparrow nesting habitat, a learning farm, food forest, and other amazing initiatives run by the Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS), the Arboretum & Botanical Society of Langley, and the Township of Langley! Locals Stephany & Willow stopped by to cheer us on and shared their love for LEPS and the work they’ve done for many years, especially here at the Arboretum! You can sign-up for the LEPS newsletter to learn about how to get involved!
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, first timers, & returning LMGTers!
- We pulled some of the biggest root crowns we’ve ever seen!
- Congratulations to Jennifer who won our inaugural Blackberry Root Crown toss! Honourable mentions to Frances, Prabh, and Rutu who were strong competitors!
- We had not one, not two, but three Jennifers who all did great work today!
- A big thank you to Justin & Drew from the Township of Langley for their support on-site!
- Thank you to Prabhjot who arrived early and jumped right in to help us set up for the day!
- Heather did a amazing job setting up our snack table today!
- Thanks to Everyone at the end of the activity, the whole team pitched in to pack up!
What Community Members Said
Video of Francis, talking about having a great time learning about plants and meeting all kinds of new people!
Video of Prabhjot, talking about why he came and encouraging people to help others and their community!
Community Investment Partner
Thank you to the Township of Langley for being a Community Investment Partner and providing the financial support and direction to make our work in Langley possible.
This was the fourth of NINE activities we are organizing in partnership with the Township this year!
This activity was a great success and together we made a significant impact on both the health and well-being of community members and the environment!
Township staff Drew & Justin helped ensure everyone had a great time and transported the invasive plants! Thank you all!
We’re so grateful for this partnership and excited for our BIGGEST YEAR YET!
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporter!
Lush is an eco-friendly company that has been working to create more natural, sustainable products. They provided their fantastic shower gels & body conditioner made right here in Canada for our participants to take home as a reward for their hard work!
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!
GTC Staff Who Made This Activity Happen!
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 Lyda Salatian, our Founder and Executive Director who works hard behind the scenes as a key part of making these activities happen!