8/14/2019 May09 Newsletter (3) http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/may09-newsletter-3 1/4 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Is your business community minded? 2 Who’s involved! 3 Interview with Ben Caldwell 4 Venntis Voluntourism MAY 1, 2009 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 5 HIGHLIGHTS: Growing Communities with Hope for the future! A designer from Johnson Controls Inc. wants to make an environmental impact in his community of Holland, Michigan. 2009 Mustard Massacre Team
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employee of Johnson Controls in Holland,Michigan gathered a team of co-workers tovolunteer in their community. Knowing that
Venntis Environmental is a local companyexperienced in handling logistics forenvironmental programs, he approachedJustin Campbell (on the left) an employeeof Venntis Environmental to organize theproject. The project partnered Holland Park and Recreation advisors, Andy Kenyan, alocal Boy Scout Troop, Venturing Crew2316 (which Justin serves as an advisor for
as well), Without Walls Vineyard church members, Venntis LLC employees and SeaScout Ship 9316 to help eradicate an invasive weed species called Garlic Mustard weed
which is destroying the wildlife habitat on Van Raalte Farm.Why did you feel the “Mustard Massacre” was worth having JCI invest in?
“Johnson Controls is very dedicated in not only investing into the lives of their
employees but also to the communities and young people where their employees live.They realize these type of collaborative projects are investments and are important topromoting a positive culture that benefits our world locally as well as globally.” How do you feel this benefited the Hollandcommunity?
“This is more than just the tangible result of having a big pile of weeds at the end of a couple
hours of work. Holland already has beautifulparks but they are "our" parks. We cannot andshould not rely solely on the Parks Departmentto maintain these type of resources that we allenjoy. It helps to promote the philosophy that if everyone does a little bit, everyone will benefitgreatly.”
Would you recommend JCI invest in asimilar project if it were to become an annualopportunity?
“Yes. The program details may change, as things
tend to do, but a I am sure that the objective of Johnson Controls promoting their employees to beactive and involved in their communities and thelives of young people will not go away. They realizethe responsibility and benefits of promoting thistype of culture.”
Has your business engaged their community lately???
Troop 316, Crew 2316 and Ship 9316 areno strangers to being good stewards of the environment. In 2008, with thelogistics handled by Venntis Voluntourism,these dynamic youth traveled to the ruralprovince of Palembang, Indonesia to plantover 1,000 rubber trees as well as bravehigh adventure activities such as junglesurvival training, white water rafting, andremote backpacking.
Why do you feel these types of projects are good for communities? “It’s something we can do as a group to get to know people in our city. Also, it exposes other
opportunities for other businesses and organizations to meet local needs”.
Would you recommend this project to your friends?
“Yes, I definitely would recommend this project to my friends. I think it’s been another eye-
opening experience for myself and others, proving that we have the power to change the