Sustainability Also Means Community – Carnegie and Kirei Earth Day
By Alexis Wagman
Though the Carnegie and Kirei teams are on opposite coasts, we are a unified front when it comes to being in service of our core values. Every year for Earth Day we volunteer our time - whether it be a beach clean-up or improving green spaces, we’re really lucky to have a team that is motivated by leaving the world better than we found it. To us, this shared mission for a more sustainable future means more than just creating products that don't harm the environment. True sustainable practice means understanding that human and environmental health are not mutually exclusive. This perspective is what is at the core of advocacy and it’s because of that symbiosis sustainability can also mean community care.
The Carnegie and Kirei volunteer teams
This year Carnegie partnered with Partnerships for Parks, an organization that aims to equip people, organizations, and government with the necessary skills and resources to transform parks and green spaces into dynamic community assets. For our team members who work remotely, a special curated package was sent including a seed mix to plant a wildflower garden to nurture pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds (we also threw in some healthy snacks!)
At our creative studio in New York City, the day of volunteering started with a team breakfast. We are a close team, but due to real life logistics, It’s not very often that we are able to have our Rockville Center crew join us for events. This opportunity to catch up and see each other in person is always special. Before we all headed out, breakfast was closed with Gordon Boggis, Carnegie CEO, giving important company updates and reaffirming the company’s gratitude for the team’s participation in the company mission.
When we all arrived at Courtney Callender Park in Harlem, the energy was vibrant. Some team members even hopped on the swingset after we received instructions and were waiting to start. We received instructions from the organization and then divided up and decided who was painting benches and who was painting fences. The afternoon was very productive – we managed to paint a significant portion of the fences surrounding the park and 18 benches for the public to enjoy. Check out some photos of the Carnegie team in action in the slideshow below.
Across the country, the Kirei team supported the clean up efforts of The San Diego River Park Foundation. A local, grassroots nonprofit organization, The San Diego River Park Foundation works to create the San Diego River park, connecting people to the San Diego River, and conserving local resources.
The Kirei Team listening to the San Diego River Park volunteer leaders
To kick off the day, the team met bright and early at Kirei HQ to enjoy breakfast snacks before carpooling to a section of Forester Creek. The San Diego River runs 52 miles from the Cuyamaca Mountains to Mission Bay with numerous tributaries, including Forester Creek, an 11-mile tributary located in El Cajon, California. Upon arriving at one of the most polluted areas, the Kirei team was energized seeing how much work they had in front of them and hit the ground running.
The Kirei Team piling up the bags of trash pulled from the forest and river.
With the downpour of rain that San Diego experienced in the spring, river flooding had captured a variety of trash and scattered it throughout the surrounding forest. The team spent hours removing shopping carts, clothing, toys, electronics, plastic bottles, and more from this small section. While the team felt proud of the impact they were able to have on this area, it highlighted the need for additional cleanup and beautifying work in the community. In total, the Kirei team cleaned up 5,180 lbs of trash from Forester Creek.
The commitment to people is a shared value across the Carnegie and Kirei teams. Whether that looks like being in service to our communities or advocating for sustainable practices in our lives, these practices compound if we all move forward with that perspective.
Additional Resources:
Read more about our sustainability story: Carnegie | Kirei
Grab your checklist for responsible material selection
Additional information on ILFI Red List
Download Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Biobased Xorel®
About the author
Alexis Wagman is the Content Marketing Specialist at Carnegie. Passionate about what connects all of us, she seeks to leverage creative Marketing and design to communicate real stories.