Thank you so much Greater Victoria Green Team participants for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Aaron, Alison, Bo, Cai, Changwen, Clarisse, Fernanda, Gordon, Isabelle, Jack, Jing, Juanita, Leslie, Linda, Marta, Max, Maya, Nabhan, Noah, Paula, Rena, Sara, Sasuke, Sirassith, Soleil, Suraiya, Ursula, Warren, Xiaosheng, Yufei, and Zoey!
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
- 32 community members engaged
- 100 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 14 people removed invasive English ivy for the first time
- 21 people visited this area for the first time
- 5.6 cubic metres ( 35 bathtubs full) of ivy removed
- 180 square metres of habitat revitalized
Highlights
- The sun came out to shine down on us in the warmest day of the year so far!
- We removed ivy from two young trees: a grand fir seedling, and a small garry oak, saving them from being smothered!
- Community members enjoyed the additional education provided by the plant signs, learning about identification in a fun, creative way!
- Community members Soleil and Isabelle helped us with pack up: thank you for your help!
- The Sedgewick building was designed and built in the 1970’s and was an award-winning design; it is integrated within the forest, built around the trees to incorporate this small forest as a part of the building: a very unique place to visit!
- All ages, backgrounds, and experience levels were engaged including families, 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.