Thank you Greater Victoria Green Teamers:
Aram, Arunshan, Ata, August, Benjamin, Billy, Blair, Brendan, Brody, Cassandra, Cassia, Chloe, Claire, Clayton, Cole, Corey, Daniela, Devin, Elias, Guoliang, Harmony, Ivana, Jack, Jacy, kat, Kathryn, Keira, Kim, Marbella, Pat, Porter, Rafael, Raphael, Riko, Saaya, Sariah, Sue, Tai, Tesla, Tony, Will, Zoe
Rain or shine, we always have fun making an impact and connecting with each other!
Impacts
- 42 community members engaged
- 16 people removed invasive plants for the first time
- 22 people visited Alumni Chip Trail for the first time
- 8 UVic students participated
- 120 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 10 cubic metres (about 62 bathtubs) of English Ivy
- 85 trees freed from invasive English Ivy
Highlights
- A doe and her fawn greeted the leader of this activity, wishing her all the best for a successful day of removing invasive English ivy and creating healthier habitat for native species. They’re especially excited for more salal and salmonberry
- This wasn’t our first and won’t be our last time at Alumni Chip Trail! Read summaries of recent activities in this part of campus below:
- Join us for our next ivy pull in this area on Dec. 7, 2025! Details & sign up here
- Community members joined us from across the Greater Victoria region including from Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquimalt, View Royal, Oak Bay, Metchosin & North Vancouver
- 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!
- Thank you to August and Kathryn for helping to set up snacks
- Thank you to Sue for gathering my directional arrows
- Thank you to everyone for helping to pack up, in particular Zoe, Blair & Jacey
- Thank you Will for offering to create an ivy leaf shaped cookie cutter for us
- Many people walking the trail gave us the thumbs up and thanked the participants for freeing the trees from English Ivy
- We made sure everyone knew how to identify our native trailing blackberry which was growing through the English Ivy
- Our snacks included: English ivy shaped home baked sugar cookies, tomatoes, cucumbers, ginger snaps, oreo cookies, carrot muffins, grapes, bananas, sugar glazed donuts, granola bars, apples and chips. YUM!
What Community Members Said
Video of Kat and Claire talking about why they like volunteering and removing invasive species
Video of Arun talking about the fun he had volunteering & helping out
Video of Rafael, Cole, and Tai talking about their positive experiences of trying something new, getting outside, meeting new people, and enjoying nature with friends
Video of Keira and Jack talking about how good it feels to make a difference and see the impact they can have supporting local ecosystems
Video of Zoe talking about the impact of doing something about climate change with her own hands
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!
Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.
In-Kind Support
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.
This activity was run by Green Teams of Canada’s Founder and Executive Director, Lyda.
Partnerships Manager, Kaitlin Warren, supported this activity behind the scenes.