This activity was organized in partnership with the Township of Langley
Thank you to all of the students who joined us from:
Ms. Strilchuk’s Class:
Ric, David, Eira, Pranav, Harper, Tyrese, Said, Ariel, Charlie, Benny, Mila, Ugo, Mannat, Natalie, Tyler, Serena, Jacob, Ranvijay, Ayesha, Mu Yan, Elliot, & Gemma!
Ms. Wells’ Class:
Charlotte, Adelyn, OnYu, Nathan, Maddison, Elyana, Robbie, Victory, Nattie, Kyler, Cohen, Levi, Sena, Olivia, Tristan, Milan, Emily,
Jake, Trevor, Vosanjh, Noah, Vayla, & Ariel
Ms. Wear’s Class:
Enzo, Dorsa, Skyla, Fifina, Aarav, Aaryav, Jason, Jj, Prisha, Aveena, Aurelia, Felix, Brynaiah, Kabir, Hamza, Luke, Colton, Mikah, Leo, Ethan, Jaxon, Jacob, Eli, Maddox
Community Impacts
69 students and were engaged, contributing 109 hrs to environmental action!
- 17 students visited Meadows Edge Park for the first time!
- 40 removed invasive plants for the first time!
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
- 4 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan blackberry was removed (equivalent to the volume of 25 bathtubs!) including many small root crowns that are the key to preventing re-growth!
- 60 square metres of habitat were revitalized
- 10 lbs of litter was removed from the area
Highlights
- Students joined us from Meadows Edge Community School!
- Today’s hands-on, experiential approach educated students about invasive species but also instilled a sense of responsibility towards their local environment, showcased the power they have to make a difference, & created lasting memories!
- We had some great entries to our competitions to see who could dig up the biggest root!
- Students worked together in teams to remove these plants!
- We also found some roly polys (pill bugs) and a few worms we moved to safe spots in the woods!
- We also saw some Bushtits flying by our worksite!
- We removed some litter we came across including plastic bags, cans, a broom handle, and even an old pillow!
- Emily and Jason were both excited to be doing this activity as part of their birthday, Happy Birthday to you both!
- After their hard work, students enjoyed some fruity juice, healthy granola bars, and rice krispies!
- At the end of their session many students didn’t want to leave and would have been excited to spend all day tackling these invasive plants!
- Special thank you to:
- Ms. Strilchuk, Ms. Wells, & Ms. Wear of Meadows Edge Community School for their role in bringing their classes out!
- Tom & Kyle from the Township of Langley who helped cleaning up all the plants we removed, encouraged the students, and with our setup & pack-up of the day!
- We’ve been working at Meadows Edge Park since 2023! Check out past activities below:
What Youth Said
Video of Nathan, talking about some of what he learned today about invasive plants!
Video of Luke & Colton, speaking about having a really fun time learning about how to remove the plants so they don’t grow back
and having fun with our biggest root competition!
Video of Ranvijay, speaking about removing roots as a team and sharing how we used some tools to help us today!
Video of Elliott & Ugo, talking about their big quest to cut through a big blackberry bush, finding cool insects,
and having a blast taking the invasive plants!
Video of Jacob, sharing how he had a great time taking out the blackberry!
Video of Mikah, sharing how he had tons of fun today too!
Community Investment Partner
Delivered in partnership with the Township of Langley, our Community Investment Partner.
Green Teams of Canada and the Township of Langley are working together to achieve our shared environmental and community objectives.
The Township provides ecological direction, while we bring expertise in community engagement – mobilizing people to take meaningful environmental action and inspiring future stewardship.
This partnership includes financial investment from the Township to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact.
Special thanks to Township staff Tovery, Tom, & Kyle for their valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.
This was the 3rd of 8 activities we’re organizing together this year!
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 Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team’s Program Manager with support from Ashton Kerr, the Acting Partnerships & Programs Director.
We Are All In This TOGETHER! The Future Depends on Us
The Lower Mainland Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2011.
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!