Thank you Greater Victoria Green Team community members for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Adam, Alison, Andie, Annika, Arveen, Aurora, Charles, Chloe, Dominic, Ethan, Fernanda, Francine, Gabriel, Gavin, Giorgio, Giulia, Guoliang, Hanni, Jem, Leia, Luca, Mason, Matias, Matthew, Myra, Otone, Patrick, Rafael, Ray, Rina, Silvia, Tesla, Toby, Tyler, and Vincent
Community Impacts
35 community members were engaged, contributing 120 hrs to revitalize local habitat!
- 20% visited Alumni Chip Trail for the first time
- 20% removed invasive plants for the first time
- 20% UVic students/faculty participated
28 participants completed a survey. Among respondents:
- 96% felt inspired to take future actions to help the environment
- 100% felt a sense of belonging and connection to others
- 89% experienced a positive boost in their well-being (93% from being in nature; 64% from meeting new people)
- 96% increased their understanding of environmental issues
- 93% learned new things & developed skills
The clouds cleared just in time and the sun broke through, leaving us with a warm, beautiful spring day. We were able to slow down and enjoy the forest, connect with one another, and focus on restoring habitat. Keep reading for impacts, highlights, and more from the day…
Environmental Impacts
- 168 square metres of habitat revitalized
- 21 cubic metres (about 131 bathtubs) of English ivy and English holly
- 47 trees and many other native plants saved from being strangled by English ivy and holly
Highlights
- Before participants arrived, two deer stepped out from the ivy and lingered nearby with Adam and Otone, as if the wildlife itself had come to witness and welcome the care being given to their home.
- Ethan played a key leadership role by helping with set up and guiding experienced participants to the site, ensuring the activity got off to a smooth and confident start.
- Myra and Arveen set up a beautiful spread of refreshments for participants to enjoy and stayed afterward to clean it all up. They do this at every activity they have been to and are incredible.
- Many trail users stopped to thank and cheer us on for the work we were doing, including a retired Oxford professor named Fred Einstein, who even stepped into the forest to cheer us on.
- Participants were treated to a delicious variety of snacks, including donuts, sour cream and onion chips, celebration cookies, grapes, bananas, apples, granola bars, carrots fruit sticks, corn nuts and fruit leather.
- 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 6th 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 Victoria, Saanich, Esquimalt, Langford, Oak Bay, Saanichton, Fernwood, Royal Oak, James Bay, Fairfield, North Park, and the Gorge–Tillicum area.
- These activities bring people together from across the region, creating connections that go beyond municipal lines. It’s a reminder that we’re all part of the same community, working toward a cleaner, healthier environment no matter where we live.
- Participants learned about invasive English holly and helped remove plants already fruiting with berries. Ethan, Ray, Matias, Charles, and Giorgio quickly became known as our holly removal team, taking on trees up to 10 feet tall.
- Hanni came across a vibrant Northern Flicker feather, its bright orange colouring standing out against the forest floor, and passed it along to Ray to add to his growing collection—a small but memorable moment that added to the day’s sense of discovery.
- Francine found a comfortable spot in the tree she was saving and called it the perfect seat to relax in.
- Patrick carefully protected a bird’s nest high in the tree, working around it with extra care to ensure the ivy was removed without disturbing or overtaking it.
- Sara and Francine discovered a small-world connection when they realized that, during Francine’s time at UBC, she had lived in the dorm building connected to the one Sara lived in during her first year.
- Special thanks to:
- Ray and Ethan who helped pack up the car!
- Leia who collected all the signs.
- EVERYONE for using teamwork to help this forest, carry tarps full of ivy back and forth.
16 People shared what this activity meant to them.
Video of Ray talking about nice it is to meet new people and be around good energy!
Video of Patrick talking about doing his part to help his community have more nature.
Video of Luca and Aurora talking about how nice it is to be submerged in nature and help the environment on such a sunny day.
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 4th 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 Sara. 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 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!
This activity was run by Sara Schwartz, the Greater Victoria Green Team’s Program Manager.