Oakville became a little greener this weekend as Oakvillegreen, with the help of 60 young girls and community members, planted 500 trees.
Last Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, shovels hit the ground at Preserve Woods as several local Girl Guide Units worked alongside Oakvillegreen to plant trees as part of an environmental initiative.
Celebrating their 25th anniversary, Oakvillegreen received support not only from the hard-working Girl Guides but also from a donation by Oakville’s Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project.
Read more here: Local teens launch monarch butterfly conservation fundraiser
"I think young people get it," said Oakvillegreen President Karen Brock. "They understand the seriousness of climate change and its impacts, and they really want to do something. For Oakvillegreen, just giving people a tree and a shovel, allowing them to plant that tree, is really empowering."
The Girl Guide troops made the event possible after a successful application through the town's Youth Climate Action Fund.
When leadership was needed, young Sasha Harrop stepped up and submitted the funding application. After navigating the process and pitching the project at Town Hall, Harrop secured the grant.
"I think it's very impoetant to give back to the community," Harrop told Oakville News. "I did some research on how many trees Ontario it losing and it's much more than this but I think everything counts and we should all try our best."
The team finished their morning planting session by putting 300 trees in the ground. In the afternoon, members of the public returned to plant an additional 200 trees at Preserve Woods.