Sanctuary Farms (SF) began with three clear objectives: to cultivate organic produce, forage nutritious compost, and create and operate a nature sanctuary on Lakeview in Detroit. Through these goals, they sought to foster a thriving community where people are safe, healthy, and connected to their local environment. Over time, their mission evolved—their farming and nature equity initiatives have since transitioned to Sacred Spaces (SSp), allowing SF to focus primarily on closing the food loop through composting and resource recovery. This year, SF has been awarded the Good For Environment award because they remove barriers on composting education for our communities to have a better relationship with the environment we live in. Jøn Kent, the Co-Founder of SF, took some time to respond to our interview questions as we celebrate the impact SF has had on the environment they serve.
SF was chosen as the Good For Environment awardee because they have “excelled in developing a closed-loop composting system that transforms food and organic waste into nutrient-rich soil, reducing landfill use and carbon emissions. Their environmental leadership lies in demonstrating how waste diversion can regenerate the land and sustain urban food systems. Beyond the physical process, they are cultivating environmental literacy by helping residents understand how soil health connects to community health, climate resilience, and local self-determination through initiatives like DCCCP and Rooted in Riverbend.” The food economy can be wasteful and it’s up to us to ensure that our processes are in alignment with the environment. Because of that, SF has pushed the composting narrative ahead by showing community members how regenerative processes support agricultural growth in urban settings.
As we continued the interview, we really wanted to know what it meant to the SF team to win the Good For Environment award. Kent confirmed that “winning the Good For Environment Award is a meaningful acknowledgment of our team’s impact on creating nutritious soil and supporting environmental justice practices. For us, this award is not just recognition; it’s a reminder that small, consistent acts of restoration can shape a more equitable and sustainable future for Detroit. More importantly this award, though as mentioned we are grateful for the recognition, we hope our work inspires and compels folks to be environmentally conscious actors that care about doing good in their local ecology.” As Kent mentioned, we all have a responsibility to the planet we live on. It’s important that we build up educational practices that prioritize people and planet through our business practices and SF is no stranger to that.
With access to education leads to more of the community having the power in their hands to make resilient changes. As a community, it’s our responsibility to eliminate barriers that prevent people from accessing tools and resources they need to survive. Kent affirms that “business leaders have a moral and civic responsibility to advocate for policies that treat education as a public good, not a private commodity. Linking public education to community well-being means ensuring that resources serve collective needs, equitable schools, green jobs, and community wealth-building initiatives, not corporate interests. True economic progress comes when public institutions and businesses cooperate to uplift workers, reduce inequality, and democratize access to knowledge. Entrepreneurs should act as stewards of social progress, aligning their enterprises with the shared goal of dignified labor, environmental justice, and inclusive prosperity for all.” Access to public education and resources is a fundamental human right. As we live in our communities, the responsibility falls on us and the next generations to advocate for better policies that invest in care and invest in growth through the Care Economy. The Care Economy plays a pivotal role in the success of small businesses and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. Essentially, it’s a smart investment for small business and community wide success.
The Care Economy is a great example of putting people first because it understands that when we invest in infrastructures that care for our community rather than being extractive, it creates a strong foundation where everyone can thrive. Kent shared “a People First approach is foundational to environmental and social justice. By centering relationships and wellbeing, we shift from extraction to reciprocity, restoring agency to communities that have long borne the weight of environmental harm and disinvestment. When we invest in care, we invest in the conditions that allow people and ecosystems to thrive together. In Detroit, this means cultivating spaces and systems that honor dignity, belonging, and the right to live in balance with the land and other lifeforms.” We owe it to our community members and the future generations to come to invest in a world that prioritizes care and growth. Which means we have the responsibility to invest in educational practices that build up restorative justice practices thus leading through a People First approach.
As Sanctuary Farms continues to advocate for the world we live in, one where people and the environment are at the forefront, Kent mentioned that they are hoping to “strengthen [SF’s] composting infrastructure and expand partnerships that support waste reduction and soil restoration. We aim to find more land to increase our input/output capacity and continue educating Detroit residents on how to transform organic waste into a regenerative resource. Meanwhile, we are also working with our Sacred Spaces to advance the development of the Lakeview Campus, which encompasses urban ag, composting and nature sanctuary to ensure that food sovereignty and environmental equity remains at the heart of our shared vision.” As SF continues to grow their mission in ensuring that all residents have access to the educational tools they provide on organic composting, it will reduce barriers and create a balance between people and the environment they live in.
