Green Team cleans up in long weekend White Rock event<\/p>\n
Published 10:30 am Monday, April 6, 2026<\/p>\n
It was a busy Easter long weekend for several volunteers with the Lower Mainland Green Team.<\/p>\n
On Saturday (April 4), Green Teams of Canada\u2019s Lower Mainland Green Team volunteers spent the sunny day removing invasive plants at Ruth Johnson Park in White Rock.<\/p>\n
More than 30 volunteers from the local community of all ages and levels of experience removed another 13 cubic metres (equivalent to 82 bathtubs) of invasive blackberry and ivy from the park, building off a successful March 14 activity \u201cto continue making great progress along the trail and creating space for native plants to thrive,\u201d according to a Green Team release.<\/p>\n
Volunteers also discovered two dumping sites in the woods, and removed 75 pounds of litter including a tire, a backyard composter, a wooden fence section, plastic, plant pots, & more.<\/p>\n
Students from five different secondary schools from across White Rock, Surrey, and Langley were represented at the activity, which was held in partnership with the City of White Rock.<\/p>\n
While the environmental impact was significant, the outcomes extended well beyond that and deeply impacted participants themselves, the release noted, and several participants completed a survey, with results showing:<\/p>\n
\u2022 92 per cent felt inspired to take future action to help the environment<\/p>\n
\u2022 96 per cent felt a sense of belonging and connection with others<\/p>\n
\u2022 100 per cent increased their understanding of environmental issues<\/p>\n
\u2022 92 per cent experienced a positive boost in their well-being<\/p>\n
While many environmental programs focus primarily on ecological outcomes, GTC\u2019s work has always centered on impacting people, the release said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese early findings now allow us to clearly demonstrate the human impact that our programming has!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lower Mainland Green Team will be back in White Rock at West Beach on Saturday, May 2 from 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. to remove invasive blackberry.<\/p>\n