This activity was organized thanks to sponsorship from Orion Construction
Thank you to all of the community members who joined us!
Bella, Chloe, Francesco, Grace, Isaac, Jeff, Joanne, Keith, Lingan, Makayla, Mariel, Rafael, Ray, Rowan, Sherry, Trev, Xing & Youssef
Community Impacts
18 community members were engaged, contributing 56 hrs to environmental action!
- 22% visited Downtown for the first time
- 50% cleaned up litter for the first time
16 participants completed a survey, and results showed:
- 94% felt inspired to take future environmental action
- 100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
- 100% felt their well-being improved
- 88% said helping the environment contributed
- 88% said meeting other people contributed
- 81% said time spent in nature contributed
- 75% said being physically active contributed
- 94% increased their understanding of environmental issues
- 100% gained practical knowledge (how environmental activities like this are planned & run, about litter, how this work supports community well-being, & what they can personally do to make a difference)
- 81% developed new skills (hands-on environmental skills, teamwork & communication)
Change starts with people. To have a lasting environmental impact, people need to feel connected, capable and empowered to take action.
Our activities are designed to increase:
- Community resilience & social connection
- Well-being through time in nature
- Participation in climate & environmental action
- Awareness of environmental issues
- Connection to local places & natural areas
- A culture of volunteerism & civic engagement
Environmental Impacts
- 100.4 lbs of litter were removed from sidewalks and roadsides in Downtown Langford!
- Over 2,775 pieces of litter were tracked & removed including:
- 2,038 cigarette butts
- 227 food wrappers
- 185 bits of paper & cardboard
- 72 bottles & cans
- 41 cups & lids
- 52 pieces of glass
- 59 pieces of electronics
- 20 items of clothing/shoes
- Some interesting finds included:
- Fake pearls
- Lego bricks
- Mini soccer ball
- A sticker of someone’s face
- Animal collar
- Oil jug
- Mud flap
- Vape & vape cartridges
- Step stake for a sign
- Baby bottle
- Pair of flip flops
- Black underwear
- Bike wheel
- Crayons
- Headphones
- Exercise equipment
- Shelving
- Siding from a house
- Trampoline spring
- Half a pair of sunglasses
- Pipes
- Electrical cable & wires
- A right shoes and a left shoe from different pairs
- And much more!
Highlights
- Community members joined us from across Greater Victoria including from including Langford, Colwood, Esquimalt, Saanich and Victoria!
- Environmental & social issues don’t have borders. By bringing together people from across the region, participants see others showing up to care for places beyond their own neighbourhoods. This reminds us that we share responsibility for the people & places around us, and that we’re all in this together.
- Langford City Councillor Keith Yacucha joined us to cleanup litter and shared positive words and thanks to everyone!
- Many passersby thanked us & cars honked with people giving us smiles & thumbs up!
- Participants learned about the impacts litter can have on our wildlife, our communities, and our environment.
- Did you know that most stormwater runoff drains are unfiltered as they flow into our streams and rivers? Picking up this litter on an urban street helped to protect not only our vital urban waterways but even our oceans far away!
- It’s also been shown that people are more likely to litter in areas with litter already present and less likely where there isn’t. By cleaning some of these spaces, we’re helping to prevent future litter too!
- We enjoyed tracking the litter we picked up using our litter tracker app created by one of our Lower Mainland Green Team community members, Chris!
- Imagine the impacts if each person who joined us adopted their street or block!
- You can unofficially adopt a block or street in your community by getting outside with a litter picker and a bucket!
- Many municipalities and organization also have Adopt-a-Street or Adopt-a-Block programs. Reach out to your local municipality to learn about options where you live!
- Many delicious snacks and refreshments were enjoyed during our well-earned break, including lemon biscotti, Jolly Rancher gummies, mandarin oranges, blueberries, grape tomatoes, garlic pretzel twists, various types of granola bars, Bubly, juice and more!
- Special thank you to:
- Jeff who arrived early and helped with setup
- Grace, Francesco, Leo & Ray who helped with pulling our wagon of supplies during the cleanup
- Youssef, Francesco, Isaac & Makayla who helped pack up items
- EVERYONE for showing up to make a difference!
- People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including students, working professionals, families, retirees, newcomers, first timers and returning GVGTers!
- This is our 3rd year running litter cleanups in Langford! Check out summaries from some of our previous litter cleanups:
What Community Members Said
16 participants shared what this activity meant to them:
Video of Isaac & Makayla speaking about having fun keeping the community clean, talking to new people and connecting with the community!
Sponsor
Thank you to Orion Construction for teaming up with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, to sponsor this activity to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact!
Orion Construction is a local general contractor focused on building lasting relationships and making a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. Through their Orion Building Futures program, they’re proud to support initiatives that bring people together and contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future.
This is Orion Construction’s 3rd year sponsoring our charity! Based in Langford and Langley, they support both our Greater Victoria Green Team and Lower Mainland Green Team.
Read about recent activities they sponsored in Feb 2026 and Apr 2025!
Special thanks to Orion staff Luiza for her valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.
Support
Thank you to the City of Langford for being a Community Investment Partner and providing operational support for this activity, with special thanks to City staff Kaitlyn and Cody!
Staff Who Made This Activity Possible
Our dedicated staff are passionate about community engagement and environmental action. Their work includes extensive outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and MUCH more!
This activity was run by Ashton Kerr, our Director of Partnerships & Programs.
We Are All In This TOGETHER! The Future Depends on Us
The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2014.
We bring people together to improve well-being and inspire environmental stewardship. Through activities like invasive plant removal, native species planting, and litter clean-ups, participants take practical action and see the impact they can make.
What sets us apart is our focus on people. Our activities are inclusive and accessible to all ages, abilities and experience levels, especially those new to environmental action. Many join for the first time, deepen their understanding of environmental issues and leave feeling capable and motivated to take future action.
We also strengthen and support the broader stewardship network by working with governmental agencies, non-profits, land trusts, volunteer-led groups, schools, and businesses, bringing new people into existing efforts and expanding their reach. Many participants go on to deepen their involvement, take on leadership roles, or contribute to other initiatives.
We believe lasting environmental change starts with people. By creating meaningful opportunities for people to take part, we help build more connected, resilient communities.
We can all make a difference!