Surrey, BC – More than 230 youth volunteers made a huge impact over Spring Break, cleaning up more than 800 bags of garbage from Surrey parks and planting 400 trees and shrubs throughout the City.
“The Surrey Youth Stewardship Squad is a shining example of how youth are leading the way and taking ownership of their local parks and the natural environment,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “Our Park Clean-Up programs are building a community of young leaders who care for nature. To the youth that participated in the Spring Break clean up, I want to personally thank each and every one of you for your commitment and hard work in taking care of our environment.”
Youth volunteers participated through the city-led Surrey Youth Stewardship Squad, which engages Surrey’s young people to help restore and enhance the City’s urban forest while increasing biodiversity through tree planting, invasive plant removals and more.
Park Clean-Ups engage Surrey’s young people to take ownership over their local parks and help keep the City’s parks clean and beautiful. Youth Volunteers contribute by picking litter throughout Surrey’s Parks, outfitted with litter pickers, and compostable garbage bags.
Over Spring Break, 234 Surrey youth contributed to beautifying the city. In all:
- 346 volunteer hours were contributed
- 400 trees and shrubs were planted
- 23 yard waste bags of invasive material were removed from parks
- 825 bags of garbage were removed from parks (estimated 443 pounds)
If you’d like to get involved, spring planting events are happening now. Through these events, you can help grow Surrey’s urban forest by planting trees and shrubs in your community park.
For details about upcoming “Releaf Tree Planting” events in your neighbourhood, check surrey.ca
