DALTON, Ga. — Perhaps you’ve seen it if you’ve visited Dalton, a large mural on the side of the wall of the Favorite Market convenience store at 304 N. Thornton Ave. across from Dalton Green.

Last week, the mural, titled “An Earth Worth Saving” and painted by local artist Henry Green, was in jeopardy of being painted over.

The store is on a list for remodeling as part of the rebranding efforts of the new owner, Mapco, but with the help of community leaders and 385 signatures on a petition, the mural will be allowed to remain.

“We have recently been made aware of the concern the Dalton community has in regards to the beautiful mural at one of our Mapco locations,” Vice President of Operations Dave DeSerio said in a statement. “We want to assure Dalton that the painting will not be removed and we are proud to be a part of such a creative community. As your neighborhood store, we support local efforts and we’re looking forward to ways in which we can further get involved in Dalton, Ga.”

Anthony Cline, chairman of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, started a petition on Causes.com Wednesday evening “for residents to show their support and express their desire to preserve the mural during store renovations,” a press release from Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful stated. Several residents, the Dalton City Council and Mayor Dennis Mock sent letters to show their support for keeping the mural.

Green said he learned of the good news Friday morning.

“I’m very appreciative,” he said. “It’s exciting to see how the community came forward to support me, including people from other states.”

The mural was a joint project ot Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and the 1,000 Words – Dalton Public Art Project. Liz Swafford, executive director of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, said in 2015 store mangers gave them permission to paint the mural on the side of the building “in an effort to make the area more welcoming and reduce their chances of getting tagged with graffiti again.”

Swafford said interactions with Mapco management this week were positive.

“They understand that the mural is important to the residents of this community and will continue to honor the agreement we had made with the previous owners,” she said in the press release. “The show of support for public art and the recycling and sustainability message of the mural has been amazing.”

The Earth in the mural is made up of bottles, cardboard, cans and other recycled materials.

“It represents that the Earth has different recyclable materials,” Green said. The animals in the mural represent life, he said. “They are like us, but have no voice to speak for themselves so it’s up to us to do so.”

Green said he’s fascinated with space and gets inspiration from his 8-year-old son Henry.

“I look at commercials about recycling and it’s disheartening that people are wasting material,” he said. “I wanted to incorporate that in my art.”

Green said people are realizing how art affects communities in positive ways.

“I think they see it’s more than just a painting on the wall,” he said.