This activity was organized in partnership with the Alouette River Management Society
Thank you to all of the community members who joined us!
Abhi, Anthony, Aaron, Asher, Ashley, Chetan, Chris, Connor, Cristian, David, Darcie, Cal, Dean, Devon, Giovanna, Gokce, Harpal, Hunter, Jayden, Kadence, Lena, Mahsa, Matilda, Shantelle, Sierra, Stuart, Swetha, Yani & Yvonne
Community Impacts
29 community members were engaged, contributing 91 hrs to environmental action!
- 68% visited Westview Park for the first time
- 46% removed invasive plants for the first time
28 participants completed a survey, and results showed:
- 89% felt inspired to take future environmental action
- 100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
- 100% felt their well-being improved
- 93% said time spent in nature contributed
- 86% said meeting people contributed
- 86% said helping the environment contributed
- 75% said being physically active contributed
- 93% increased their understanding of environmental issues
- 100% learned new things, like how to identify invasive plants & how this work supports community well-being
- 96% developed new skills like how to work as a team & how to remove invasive blackberry
Change starts with people. To have a lasting environmental impact, people need to feel connected, capable and empowered to take action.
Our activities are designed to increase:
- Social connection & community resilience
- Well-being through time in nature
- Participation in climate & environmental action
- Awareness of environmental issues
- Connection to local places & natural areas
- A culture of volunteerism & civic engagement
Environmental Impacts
- 13 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan blackberry were removed (equivalent to the volume of 81 bathtubs!)
- 126 square metres of habitat were revitalized
Highlights
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Maple Ridge itself, Pitt Meadows, Langley, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Surrey, New Westminster, Burnaby & Richmond
- Environmental & social issues don’t have borders. By bringing together people from across the region, participants see others showing up to care for places beyond their own neighbourhoods. This reminds us that we share responsibility for the people & places around us, and that we’re all in this together.
- Community members shared their favourite activities, which included: Hiking, swimming, camping, horseback riding, sleeping, & going for walks
- So many great new connections were made that phone numbers were exchanged and rides home given!
- We had a couple park users thank us for our work!
- We found plenty of soil organisms, including this spider!
- Yani has been caring for Westview Park for 6 years through ARMS’ Adopt-A-Block program. She did a litter cleanup the day before and joined us at this activity! Thank you for your leadership in caring for the places we live!
- Many delicious snacks were enjoyed during our snack break, including homemade vegan brownies baked by Ashton, mandarins, carrots, cucumbers, pesto hummus, strawberry pretzels, tzatziki chips, marshmallows with chocolate inside & more!
- Special thank you to:
- Sara for helping with set up!
- Stuart for helping supervise, set up and pack away our snacks
- Everyone who helped pack up and put their tools in our van!
- People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, returning LMGTers and newcomers!
- This was our visit to Westview Park!
What Community Members Said
29 participants shared what this activity meant to them:
Video of Cristian & Kadence, speaking about helping the environment and inspiring others to get involved!
Video of Matilda & Chetan, speaking about getting a workout, being in nature & giving back!
Video of Abhi & Anthony, speaking about the importance of removing invasive plants & it being a great way to bring the community together!
Video of Shantelle & Ashley, speaking about making a positive difference in the community & contributing to environmental restoration efforts!
Video of Dean speaking about taking out invasive species and clearing the way for native plants!
Video of Giovanna & Aaron, speaking about meeting people, learning about native plants & digging up Himalayan blackberry!
Video of Jayden, Mahsa & Hunter, speaking about being part of the community, helping out the ecosystem, learning new things & seeing the difference we can make when we work together! (Plus their fun video about making new friends!)
Video of Asher speaking about making room for Salmonberry!
Community Investment Partner
Delivered in partnership with the Alouette River Management Society (ARMS), our Community Investment Partner.
Green Teams of Canada and ARMS are working together to achieve our shared environmental and community objectives.
ARMS provides ecological direction, while we bring expertise in community engagement – mobilizing people to take meaningful environmental action and inspiring future stewardship.
This partnership includes financial investment from ARMS to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact.
Special thanks to Kristen, Sara & Greta for their valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.
In-Kind Support
Thank you to the following businesses for providing in-kind to support this activity:
- Lush for providing their natural ingredient soaps
- OLA Bamboo for providing their made-in-Canada bamboo cutlery sets
- Gathering Place for providing their fair-trade, organic spices
- Green Beaver for providing natural lip balm
When socially and environmentally conscious businesses provide in-kind rewards for our community members, it helps us encourage local and responsible consumption beyond our activities.
Businesses can also further enable us to run high-quality, safe and impactful activities by providing gift cards, refreshments, tools, gloves, and other supplies.
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton Kerr.
Staff Who Made This Activity Possible
Our dedicated staff are passionate about community engagement and environmental action. Their work includes extensive outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and MUCH more!
This activity was run by Ashton Kerr, the Acting Partnerships & Programs Director & Lyda Salatian, Founder & Executive Director
We Are All In This TOGETHER! The Future Depends on Us
The Lower Mainland Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2011.
We bring people together to improve well-being and inspire environmental stewardship. Through activities like invasive plant removal, native species planting, and litter clean-ups, participants take practical action and see the impact they can make.
What sets us apart is our focus on people. Our activities are inclusive and accessible to all ages, abilities and experience levels, especially those new to environmental action. Many join for the first time, deepen their understanding of environmental issues and leave feeling capable and motivated to take future action.
We also strengthen and support the broader stewardship network by working with governmental agencies, non-profits, land trusts, volunteer-led groups, schools, and businesses, bringing new people into existing efforts and expanding their reach. Many participants go on to deepen their involvement, take on leadership roles, or contribute to other initiatives.
We believe lasting environmental change starts with people. By creating meaningful opportunities for people to take part, we help build more connected, resilient communities.
We can all make a difference!