Helping to make Adelaide cooler, greener, and wilder is a task that Green Adelaide certainly can’t do alone.
We support 139 passionate environmental volunteer groups in the Adelaide region, which last year contributed more than $3 million worth of time and effort towards our environment.
It’s National Volunteer Week - the perfect time to shine a light on the incredible efforts of the volunteer groups that we support. Find out about some of the work they’re doing.
We’ve got hundreds to choose from, but we can’t cover them all, so here are 5 volunteer groups that have been doing amazing things in the environment space:
1. Joan’s Patch
Set in the picturesque foothills of Adelaide in Hawthorndene, Joan’s Patch is a community garden run by a dedicated group of volunteers who meet once a week.
Joan’s Patch was established in 2013 behind the very popular café, Joan’s Pantry.
The group puts on many community days and is committed to growing their community group,.
They recently hosted a successful ‘Come and Try’ day offering tours of the community garden and demonstrations of propagation techniques. Attendees also planted seedlings, sowed seeds and were offered information on plants and their basic growing requirements.
2. Friends of Lochiel Park
Lochiel Park is a green village in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide. The local ‘Friends’ volunteer group works to bolster the area’s biodiversity and, most importantly, help residents to connect with nature in their backyard.
Lochiel Park has wonderful wetlands that the group is passionate about protecting. They do this primarily by planting flora species native to the area.
Recently they have created a native grassland meadow and installed some beautiful information signs to educate the public on the importance of native grasslands in the Adelaide region (with the assistance of our Grassroots Grants funding!).
3. Pasadena and St Mary's Action Group
Pasadena and St Marys Action Group is a relatively new group, having formed in 2022 to bring the community together in a common greening goal.
With the help of one of our Grassroots Grants, the group has planted 2000 native plants to create 100 ‘nature packs’ for verge plantings for residents in Pasadena and St Marys.
4. Semaphore Largs Dune Group
This dedicated group of about 20 volunteers monitor and protect native flora and fauna in the dunes between Hart Street, Semaphore and Strathfield Terrace, Largs North.
The dunes are a critical part of the coastal ecosystem, and this group plays a vital role in protecting them.
They are also recent recipients of a Grassroots Grant to provide weed control and protection of the dunes and work collaboratively with nearby volunteer groups: Friends of Taperoo Dunes, Friends of North Haven Sand Dunes, Port Adelaide Resident's Environment Protection Group, Labyrinths on LeFevre Friends Group and other community groups.
5. Friends of Upper Field River
Forming in 2019, the Friends of Upper Field River initially focused on planting diverse species of native flora in the upper reaches of Field River.
This has allowed great numbers of insect pollinators including the chequered swallowtail butterfly to return to the area.
Following on from their plantings success, the group have pivoted to helping to remove feral olive trees in the area, which has provided a huge benefit to the native flora and fauna.
This is just a snippet of the hundreds of environmental volunteering groups in the Green Adelaide region that are doing incredible work.
So, take a moment this week to say ‘thank you’ to a volunteer for their tireless work in making this world a better place for us all. If this has inspired you to get involved and volunteer, please check out potential opportunities on our website.