Thank you to everyone who participated in our planting today!
Atindra, Barb, Chris, Clara, Daniel, Edward, Eli, Gary, Gisele, Hannah, Jan, Janice, John C., John S., Kaiden, Kazusa, Lily, Mandy, Maria M., Maria R., Marina, Rouhollah, Fern, Shota, Steve, Steven, Vanessa, Fern, Juliano, Lev, Maya, & Victoria!
We had a ton of fun under the rain in Ruth Johnson Park!
Community members & Amma Canada’s GreenFriends came together to plant 200 native trees and plenty of other plants here to help restore this beautiful green space!
Read all about our day below!
Impacts
- 33 community members were engaged
- 17 participants visited Ruth Johnson Park for the first time
- 13 participants planted for the first time
- 17 participants visited Ruth Johnson Park for the first time
- 123 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 245 native trees and shrubs were planted, including 200 native trees like Western Red Cedars, Douglas Firs, and Red Osier Dogwood as well as native Sword Ferns!
- 195 square metres of habitat was revitalized!
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from White Rock itself, Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, Richmond, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster, and even Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast!
- 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!
Highlights
- This activity built on the efforts of our team and the City of White Rock that started in this part of the park in 2023! Read summaries and see photos of past activities to see what the area used to look like!
Read summaries and see photos of past activities below!- Jun 25, 2023 (look at all that invasive blackberry!)
- Oct 22, 2023 (see the crazy ivy that used to carpet the forest floor in the area we removed ivy from!)
- Mar 23, 2024
- Apr 23, 2024 (Earth week activity engaging local elementary students)
- May 25, 2024
- Mar 30, 2025 (our first activity of the year here!)
- Sept 28, 2025 (where we prepared the space for this planting!)
- We also removed some invasive English Ivy from near some of our new native plants to best set them up for success!
- 14 members of the GreenFriends Pacific Northwest Chapter joined us at this activity!
- We had several volunteers like Steven, Jan, Gary, Barb, John, & Hannah return to the park after past activities removing invasive plants here this Spring and our Oct. 4th TD Tree Day Event in the upper section of the park! All were excited to build on their work and continuing to steward this space. We couldn’t have succeeded today without all their previous efforts!
- Vanessa made delicious homemade goodies for us including sandwiches, hummus, scones, cinnamon buns, chocolate haystacks, & more! Everyone was grateful for her amazing treats!
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including, families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, & returning LMGTers!
- Gisele created a reel of her experience at this activity! Check it out on Instagram here!
- An extra special Thank You to John S., John C., Hannah, Chris, Kazusa, Jan & Gary who stayed late to help ups plant the last of our trees!
What Community Members Said
Video of Gisele, talking about having a great time connecting with people, the earth, and the positive energy of our group!
Video of Lily, talking about planting trees for the first time, learning lots, and having fun in the rain!
Video of John & Hannah, talking about joining us for a second time planting in Ruth Johnson and the fun time they had in the rain today!
Community Investment Partner - Amma Canada
Amma Canada’s GreenFriends Program partnered up with us to make this impactful planting activity possible, with the GreenFriends Pacific Northwest chapter joining us for this activity!
Special thank you to Kazusa for being exceptional to work with. We deeply appreciate all of her leadership and hard work behind the scenes from GreenFriends!
Founded in 2001, GreenFriends is the international environmental initiative of Embracing the World. It’s a volunteer-based movement that promotes environmental awareness and participation at the individual and community levels. GreenFriends seeks to inspire people to serve and protect nature, so that all life-forms may live in harmony upon the Earth.
This partnership between two Canadian charities is a great example of what’s possible when organizations work together through shared values of compassion, empowerment and environmental stewardship!
Guidance & Support
Thank you to the City of White Rock for being a Community Investment Partner to make our work in White Rock possible.
Their direction and support was key to making this activity the success it was and included the selection, ordering, & placement of all of our plants!
City staff Spencer & Cole played a key role in organizing this activity and preparing for this activity, as special thank you to them!
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporter today, Gathering Place Trading!
Gathering Place Trading is a BC family business offering spices, teas, and more for those who embrace stewardship of the Earth, sustainable farming practices, fair trade & equal pay, and a commitment to high quality.
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton Kerr. Your support makes a difference!
Why We Do This Work
The Lower Mainland 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, litter clean-ups and more, 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!
GTC Staff Who Made This Activity Happen!
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!
Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team Program Manager, and Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team Partnerships Manager and led this activity together!