Our summer of volunteering began with a collective effort
In June Eloisa Espoo took to two meadows in Espoo for local nature volunteering events. To celebrate World Environment Day on June 5th, people rolled up their sleeves at Olarinniitty. The volunteer effort continued on June 7th at Siuntionniitty in the spirit of International Volunteer Day.
In both events, the focus was on removing lupine, an invasive species whose spread threatens the diverse meadow ecosystem. The garden lupine and other similar harmful plants crowd out native flowers, insects, and other organisms that require open, sunny, and species-rich habitats. When vegetation becomes more diverse, the entire ecosystem is strengthened.
The theme of the UN's World Environment Day for 2025 is tackling the immense environmental challenges caused by plastic. Eloisa Espoo contributed to the day's theme by having volunteers also collect trash that had ended up in nature while they were pulling up the lupine.
At the international volunteer event at Siuntionniitty, preparations had been made to give instructions in English, but it was delightful to see that many Finnish-speaking participants joined in as the day went on. Work was done in good spirit and with smiles, as the shared goal united the volunteers. The Siuntionniitty event also offered artistic content and the joy of hands-on creation – a lupine graphics workshop, implemented by Seikkailutaidekoulu and Metsän Mimmit, brought color and creativity to the volunteer day. Participants were able to create their own plant-based graphic prints from lupine leaves and stems, and thus take a piece of the volunteer experience home with them. A biodegradable, carbon-based ink was used in the graphics workshop.
Even though a lot was accomplished during the events, there is still work to be done in nature. At both Olarinniitty and Siuntionniitty, there were still areas of plants to be pulled that will soon be available in the Crowdsorsa mobile game. Starting in June, you can also take part in volunteer work in your own time and choose locations using the app. Helping nature is therefore not tied to a specific time or place – you can participate whenever it suits you.
Our summer of volunteering continues in August! The next local nature events will be held:
August 13th at Olarinluoma in Tapiola
August 20th in Espoonlahti (pre-registration is recommended so we can take into account the sensitive natural values of the area)
In August, it will be the turn of goldenrods – fast-spreading plants that favor rich soil, which turn meadows into monocultures and make it difficult for many pollinators and traditional meadow species to survive. Come and help the local nature of Espoo!
Join the Eloisa Espoo mailing list and get information about upcoming events, workshops, and other community actions for the sake of nature.
Together we can accomplish more – see you at the meadows!
