Environment Week
Burnaby Environment Week is a week long program of environmentally-themed community activities held to coincide with Canadian Environment Week. You’re invited to join us for some of the fun, free, family-friendly events to celebrate our connection to the environment around the City.
Environment week events
Go By Bike Week
Go By Bike Week: May 31-June 6
These challenge programs celebrate alternatives to car travel, like biking and taking transit. Register online for free and log your trips to enter for great prizes.
Eco-Centre Open House
Saturday, May 31, 10 am-2 pm
Burnaby’s award-winning Eco-centre is the place to go for safe, convenient and friendly drop-off for over 20 different types of recyclable materials, with new categories being accepted all the time! We’re celebrating environment week with an open house featuring live music, and a free bag of compost will be available to Burnaby residents on a first-come, first served-basis (max 2 per household). Even our staff falcon will be available for meet and greets! Join us for a free and fun event.
Ecosystem Restoration Events
Saturday, May 31, 9:45 am-1 pm – Registration required
Saturday, June 7, 9:45 am-1 pm – Registration required
We’re partnering with Green Teams of Canada’s Lower Mainland Green Team for 2 days of direct ecosystem restoration at the Cariboo Heights forest! Spend time outside, meet new people, try new things and more, all while removing invasive plants. Plus, learn about and work alongside one of Burnaby's many amazing stewardship groups, the Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society!
These family-friendly events are a hallmark of Environment Week in Burnaby and one of the most effective ways to take action protecting nature in our city. All ages are welcome, with no experience needed! Educational instruction, gloves, tools and snacks provided.
Indigenous Cultural Plant Walk– Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society
Sunday, June 1, 11 am-1 pm – Registration required
To celebrate Environment Week, join Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society for a fun, family friendly stroll through Burnaby’s Secret Forest! Learn about native plants found in the forest and how the First Nations people use them for food and medicine.
Burnaby Lake Tree Identification Workshop
Sunday, June 1, 10 am-noon – Registration required
Join a naturalist and meet some of the stars of Burnaby—the trees! Find out how to identify some of the most common species, uncover interesting facts about each one and discover the amazing ways trees are connected to one another.
Byrne Creek Urban Stream Workshop
Sunday, June 1, 10 am-noon – Registration required
Learn about the secret life of an urban stream. Join the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers for an educational tour and find out fascinating facts about this important waterway.
Nature Connections – Burnaby Lake Park Association
Sunday, June 1, 11 am-3 pm – Registration required
Join the Burnaby Lake Park Association (BLPA) nature connections event for fun, free, activities for all ages! For more information, visit burnabylakepark.ca.
Guided canoe trips on Deer Lake
Tuesday, June 3- sessions at 6 pm and 7:15 pm – Registration required
Wednesday, June 4 – sessions at 6 pm and 7:15 pm – Registration required
To celebrate Environment Week, we’re offering 4 evening sessions of guided canoe trips on Deer Lake. Experience the sights and sounds of Deer Lake in the heart of Burnaby alongside an experienced canoe instructor—no paddling experience necessary!
Guided Heron Colony Tour
Wednesday, June 4, noon-1:30 pm
Experience the sights and sounds of the Great Blue Herons nesting at Deer Lake Park. These amazing birds have called Burnaby home for several years! This tour will be led by the Stanley Park Ecology Society. The tour will start at noon and will run every half an hour until 1:30pm. No registration required and drop-ins are welcome. To participate, please meet at Deer Lake Ave and Rowan Ave.
Guided Forest Bathing
Central Park: Saturday, June 7, 9:30-11:30 am – Registration required
Immerse yourself in the symphony of the forest in our Burnaby Parks! Join us for a forest therapy walk inspired by Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese art of "Forest Bathing." Disconnect from technology, rejuvenate your mind, and deepen your connection with nature. Learn more about forest bathing research here.
Indigenous Photo Tour at Deer Lake
Saturday, June 7, 10-11:30 am – Registration required
Join us for a guided tour of Deer Lake, focused on photography tips for both film cameras and phones that will help you get the perfect nature shots of beautiful Burnaby! This tour is guided by Indigenous guides and photographers, John Preissl and Laurie Beeman, who will be sharing some of the Indigenous history of Deer Lake and the surrounding area, including the Legend of Deer Lake, as told by John’s great-great grandfather, Chief Joe Capilano of the Squamish Nation. Laurie will also be sharing traditional knowledge about the plants important to Coast Salish peoples for food and medicine. The tour will start and finish at Spirit Square at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, by Musqueam Nation artist Thomas Cannell’s Spirit Square basalt stone figures. Please bring water, a sun hat, and camera (phone cameras are welcome) as well as your adventuring spirit! This tour is mostly over flat ground, with a few short hills.