by Tina Kelly –
Going Green has celebrated its second anniversary. So far in this column, there have been many tips and suggestions for living with “greener” intentions in our homes and yards – green cleaning, conserving water, mending clothes, repairing household goods and the benefits of leaving leaf litter. Let’s take it further afield, outside our homes, to actively participate in improving our communities. As I sit to write this, National Volunteer Appreciation Week is in full swing. Volunteers make a difference across many organizations and initiatives: health care, social justice, arts and culture, and environmental stewardship and conservation. As summer approaches, we’ll start looking to be more active and to spend more time outside. Why not combine volunteering and outdoor physical activity with improving our local environment?
A year or so ago, a friend and I signed up for a Greater Victoria Green Team (GVGT) event – planting trees and removing invasive plant species in Esquimalt Gorge Park. As a child, my family regularly swam in the Gorge Waterway. I also spent many many days playing in and exploring the park as part of summer camps. Now as an adult, I had an active role in improving the ecological health of that very same park. While I primarily chose this event because the date aligned with my availability and accessibility (I could walk there!), the park’s former significance to my life was not lost on me. It felt very much like a full circle moment. The GVGT has hosted, and continues to host, restoration and conservation events in more than 85 parks throughout the CRD. Does your favourite park, greenspace or beach need your help? Follow GVGT on social media – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – to receive announcements and updates or visit www.meetup.com/Greater-Victoria-Green-Team.
Another volunteer opportunity may have you up in a tree. Summer means fresh, local vegetables and fruit and backyard fruit trees often produce more than one family, or even two, can manage. In an effort to reduce food waste, my sister-in-law feels overwhelmed with plums – plum compote, plum cobbler, plum chicken. That is where LifeCycles Project Society can help. LifeCycles volunteers will come and pick the fruit. Their haul is then divided between you, the volunteers and the organization. LifeCycles then further divides the fruit to donate to community food services and to make food or drink products that fundraise for the non-profit’s programs. Sign up to pick or become a tree steward by volunteering your tree(s) at www.lifecyclesproject.ca.
A wonderfully appealing thing about these opportunities is they lack a regularly scheduled commitment; when the need or event fits your availability, you sign up. Volunteer a few times or many and fruit picking, of course, is seasonal. This flexibility can be attractive for those who are looking for something to squeeze into their busy schedules.
When we recycle a can, buy in bulk, or take the bus, our overall positive contribution can be hard to understand and quantify. Part of the joy of taking on a volunteer task of removing invasive species or rescuing food is seeing an immediate impact. That patch of English ivy is gone or X pounds of fruit has been rescued and redistributed.
So as the days get warmer and the fruit begins to ripen, consider spending a little time outside improving local greenspace or rescuing food. Or maybe a little bit of both.
