Thank you so much Greater Victoria Green Team participants for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Ainsley, Ana, Arron, Bethany, Bo, Brenda, Camille, Carmen, Cathy, Dave, Delaney, Diana, Ella, Fernanda, Jason, Kaitlyn, Larry, Leia, Linus, Luca, Max, Mel, Rena, Robin, Sara, and Tristan!
What a fun day we had connecting people to one another and nature, all while restoring habitat! Keep on reading to find impacts, highlights and more from the day…
Impacts
- 29 community members engaged
- 94 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 3 people removed invasive English ivy for the first time
- 8 people visited this area for the first time
- 5.5 cubic metres (34 bathtubs full) of ivy removed
- 130 square metres of habitat revitalized
Highlights
- Many community members helped with set up and stayed to help with pack up: thank you so much!
- Community members enjoyed the additional education provided by the plant signs, learning about identification in a fun, creative way!
- We also had many passerbys interact with the signs, and with the work we were doing! They learned more about local native and invasive species!
- Chek News came to the activity to film community in action and interview a few members to highlight their experiences!
- The Alumni Chip Trail connects to a brand new cycling path created by UVic, connecting the outskirts of campus to a network of paths inside Ring Road. This new section also features Indigenous art visually seen on the path at night underneath lampposts!
- All ages, backgrounds, and experience levels were engaged including 10 UVic students, nearby residents, returning Green Team members, and first-timers!
Community Investment Partner
A huge THANK YOU to the Department of Campus Planning and Sustainability at the University of Victoria for partnering with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, and making this activity possible with their financial support and direction!
Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.
In-Kind Support
Thank you to the fantastic local eco-friendly business LUSH that donated In-kind products for our hard-working community members to take home!
Please contact Kaitlin Warren. if you are interested in providing in-kind.
Why We Do This Work
The Greater Victoria Green Team organizes hands-on educational activities that have a positive environmental impact to empower people. Through activities such as invasive plant removals, plantings, litter cleanups and more, we are fostering connections with others and nature so that health and well-being is prioritized, lifelong environmental stewardship is promoted, and community members are enabled to take care of themselves, each other and the places they live. We all have the power to make a difference!
We all experience mental and physical health benefits from spending time in nature, including reduced stress and anxiety, and improved mood, focus, memory and more. While doing so, we can also have a positive impact on the environment as demonstrated through this activity!
Staff Who Made This Activity Possible
Greater Victoria Green Team Program Manager, Kaitlin Warren and Program Coordinator, Severine Tyszewicz, work hard behind the scenes to bring these high-quality activities to you.
Partnership building, outreach, social media, activity logistics, leading on-the-ground, reporting on impacts and more – they can do it all!
Severine was hired as part of Green Teams of Canada’s Youth Leadership Program, intended to empower the next generation of environmentally-focused community organizing.