Volunteers from AkzoNobel picked up shovels and rakes at our boys campus garden to help kick off a successful growing season and spread the word about sustainability initiatives. Several AkzoNobel employees worked alongside Mercy Home coworkers and resident youth, Michael, tilling soil and planting vegetables and flowers.

AkzoNobel, a global paints and coatings company and producer of specialty chemicals, is committed to sustainability strategies around the world by doing more with less and creating value from fewer resources. Their efforts in the Mercy Home garden reinforced those strategies at the local level.

“If you can grow what you can right here, you’re reducing your carbon footprint and getting to know more about where your food comes from,” said Alison Kalantzis, AkzoNobel’s North American Communications Coordinator. “It’s important to understand the chain of where our things come from and where they go when we’re done with them.”

Kalantzis stressed the importance of introducing these ideas to youth who may be unfamiliar with such concepts.

“Kids at Mercy Home might not have access to the culture that has latched on to sustainability. People who are really passionate about sustainability tend to come from more affluent or privileged backgrounds,” she said. “If we can get the principles of sustainability across to kids coming from impoverished, less fortunate communities, they’re going to take that knowledge back to their families and friends, and hopefully those ideas catch on.”

We would like to kindly thank AkzoNobel for donating seeds and plants for our garden. As well, thank you to our green-thumbed coworkers for organizing the event and pitching in with the gardening.