Thank you Greater Victoria Green Team community members for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Alex, Anais, Annika, Arthur, August, Brody, Carrie, Charles, Chloe, Clayton, Crispin, Elias, Ella, Estelle, Ethan, Harrison, Isaac, Josephine, Kacey, Keira, Lauren, Lauren, Leia, Marlene, Matias, Narin, Rafael, Raphael, Rowan, Sasha, Silvia, Sophia, Stephanie, Tanraj, Timothy, Tom Tuvshin, Veda & ZhongYi!
We caught a break in the wind and were able to enjoy a beautiful spring day connecting with each other and restoring habitat! Keep on reading to find impacts, highlights and more from the day…
Impacts
- 40 community members engaged
- 11 people removed invasive plants for the first time
- 7 people visited Alumni Chip Trail for the first time
- 8 UVic students/faculty participated
- 117 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 252 square metres of habitat revitalized
- 7 cubic metres (about 44 bathtubs) of English Ivy
Highlights
- The wind held off until around 1:30pm, allowing us to spend a gorgeous day working together under the forest canopy! The rain the day before also helped moisten the soil, making it easier to pull out the invasive plants.
- We had many UVic students who got to explore the forest right in their own backyards for the first time including Sophia and Tom!
- Oak Bay City Councillor, Carrie Smart, joined us! It was great to have her participate alongside community members and support hands on environmental stewardship.
- Many trail users thanked and cheered us on for the work we were doing!
- We got to hear an owl calling out from the canopy above us!
- We’ve been working to steward Alumni Chip Trail in partnership with UVic’s Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability for many years and there’s been a noticeable positive difference being made! This was our 2nd trip to this trail in 2026, read a summary of our last activity below:
- Community members joined us from across the Greater Victoria region including from Oak Bay, Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Sooke & Central Saanich!
- 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!
- Participants learned to identify the difference between native Oregon grape and invasive English holly, as well as native Trailing blackberry and invasive English ivy!
- Homemade vegan brownies, mandarin oranges, cucumbers, matcha mochi, veggie straws, fruit gummies, dried beans, a variety of granola bars and more were enjoyed during our break!
- Special thanks to:
- Crispin and Ethan who arrived early to help with setup and helped support and supervise participants during the activity!
- Sasha, Josephine, and Kacey for helping set up our snack table beautifully, and Anais for helping pack it all up!
- Harrison for hauling tarps of ivy for people throughout the activity!
- EVERYONE for using teamwork to help this forest, carry tarps full of ivy and pack up!
- Ethan, Charles, Chloe & Timothy for coming out to both the GVGT’s Saturday AND Sunday activities this weekend!
What Community Members Said
Video of Keira talking about how she loves to come out to volunteer, see the impact of our actions and meet new people!
Video of Silvia talking about how she loves nature and helping it, and encouraging new people to come join!
Video of Stephanie talking about how her first time removing ivy, meeting new people and doing what we can on a local level to help the environment!
Video of Matias talking about helping the forest, getting exercise, having conversations with new people, and being energized by doing something good!
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to UVic’s Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability (special thanks to Claire & Peter) for partnering and working with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, and making this activity possible with their financial support and direction!
This was our 2nd partnership activity of the 2026 year and we are excited for many more to come!
Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.
In-Kind Support
Thank you to LUSH for providing their fantastic shower gels, body conditioner, body lotion, and more with natural ingredients, sustainable packaging, and made in Canada! Our participants were really happy to take these gifts home!
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Lyda. Your support makes a difference!
Why We Do This Work
The Greater Victoria 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, and litter clean-ups, 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 dedicated team is passionate about creating engaging, high-quality activities that foster a sense of belonging, connection to nature while raising environmental awareness. We strive to make a positive impact on our environment and to build a thriving community that cares for it.
Sara Schwartz, the Greater Victoria Green Team’s Program Manager led this activity with support from Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager.
Lyda Salatian, Green Teams of Canada’s Executive Director, supported behind the scenes!