Meet My Neighbors: Nio Kindla

 

I was really inspired by my interview with Nio Kindla, a school garden manager for the nonprofit Grow Some Good, for my latest column in The Maui News.

Nio does a lot more than teach kids about growing tomatoes and beans: garden lessons are used to teach subjects like economics (learning about “food miles”), Hawaiiana (planting canoe crops), and math (planting seeds on an x and y axis). In some cases, he’s teaching kids who are afraid of dirt, can’t identify different vegetables, or need a respite from a troubled home.

My favorite quote (saved for the kicker, as usual):

“I’ve always considered myself a green person and been about growing healthy food, but I think the garden project helped me realize that besides having a job to make money, there’s a greater purpose for each of us to have an impact on the lives of other people.”

We all want to make a difference in the world, but sometimes the problems seem too great, and our efforts seem too small. Interviewing Nio reminded me that we all have the ability to plant a seed and be part of positive change. You can read the rest of my story here.