For the 21.2 million veterans of the American military, coming home is almost always described as an intensely complicated, very difficult situation— one in which the joy of reuniting with loved ones is conflicted with the memories from the battlefield and the enormous disconnect between the two. While books, films, and other media have long tried to help the rest of us understand what the men and women of our armed forces endure as they return from serving our nation, none of us truly know, without having been there and back. This weekend, we’re highlighting a few organizations that are making that transition easier— and serving planet Earth in the process. 

Explosions of life

An organization dedicated to helping both military service people and the environment, Growing Veterans is a three-farm, certified-organic operation in Washington State. With the help of supporting organizations, this nonprofit addresses some of the biggest problems veterans face— unemployment, homelessness, suicide, divorce and depression— by giving them a safe place to learn, to work, to volunteer, to commiserate and to seek peer-mentor help, all through the shared mission of growing healthy food (32K pounds last year alone) for the surrounding community. As one vet put it in a NationSwell profile of the group: "It’s nice to be able to plant something in the ground that will explode into life rather than into destruction."

Less water, more opportunity

Similar to Growing Veterans but smaller in scale, the mission of Archi’s Acres, Inc., is twofold: provide a viable business opportunity for vets returning from service and practice sustainable farming methods. The small, hydro-organic farming operation in California is operated by husband-wife team, Colin and Karen Archipley. Watch this short, sweet video of the couple explaining their origin story, the $845 water bill that changed everything, and where they are today in their eighth year of business.

More than milk crates

Photo courtesy of Ecovetfurniture.com

For five years, Arkansas-based EcoVet has been teaching vets to make furniture. This isn’t just any old chair, table or dresser, however; everything comes from salvaged semi-tractor trailers, most of them decommissioned by Walmart. What was slated for destruction and dumping gets broken down for new life: the steel and aluminum is recycled; plywood walls go to Habitat for Humanity and the tires go to auto shops to be used in patching. Then the oak or maple floor gets turned into beautiful, unique furniture that’s sold under names, such as the Admiral series, the Colonel series and the Lieutenant series. In other words: these aren’t your college roommate’s milk crates. Yet the best part of all is the hiring mission. According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, of the nearly 500K unemployed veterans, about 40 percent are aged 18 to 44. In a Fast Company profile of the company, co-founder Drake Vanhooser said the statistics are ironic, considering veterans are trained to get things done and be adaptable. By paying a living wage, offering stock options and encouraging employees to fit college courses into a flexible work schedule, he said, his company is unusual in its approach: “It’s compassion first.”