2022 Aurora Visitor Guide - 27

THOUGHTFUL APPROACHES
ZERO MARKET
How do we get back to a more
sustainable lifestyle after the COVID-19
pandemic has caused extra waste
in the form of to-go food packaging,
wipes, masks, and more?
On the flip side, there is a positive trend
with more people gardening and discovering
the amazing flavor of locally grown foods
as budgets
tightened and additional
free
time became available. Three local entities,
all based at Aurora's Stanley Marketplace,
along with the farmers' markets there and at
Southlands Lifestyle Center are doing their
part to show how it's done and help others live
a healthier lifestyle.
Slightly modifying a familiar saying, one of the
mantras for ZERO MARKET is " Good things
come in no packages. " Located inside Stanley
Marketplace and with a second location
at Edgewater Public Market in Edgewater,
Colorado, the retailer carries more than 1,200
daily life products that help people achieve
a zero-waste lifestyle including bulk D.I.Y.
ingredients,
oils,
tea,
plastic-free
body
care, natural cosmetics and toiletries,
household products, and on-tap kombucha.
Bring your own empty containers or buy
them on-site and reuse. thezeromarket.com
On the fresh food front, GOTHAM GREENS
has a 30,000-square-foot greenhouse adjacent
to Stanley Marketplace on a runway that
served the former Denver Stapleton Airport.
Based in Brooklyn, New York, the privately
held Gotham Greens was established in
2009 and now operates 500,000 square feet
of hydroponic greenhouses across five U.S.
states, allowing the company to reduce the
time it takes to get their leafy greens and herbs
from these farms to customers' refrigerators.
The 100 percent renewable electricity-powered
greenhouses use 95 percent less water and 97
percent less land than conventional farming.
Gotham Greens
sells its produce,
dressings, and sauces to various grocers and
to restaurants and food-service customers in
the area. gothamgreens.com
Meanwhile, VILLAGE FARMS AT STANLEY
helps fulfill the nonprofit Village Exchange
Center's mission of celebrating religious
and cultural diversity through food access
and security in action. The one-acre farm
not only creates an outdoor opportunity for
youth and adult
learning and teamwork,
half of the organic produce grown is
distributed through the Village Pantry and
the rest is divided equally among partner
organizations and small businesses. In 2021,
30 varieties of vegetables and herbs
that
are culturally relevant to the beneficiaries
were planted, and Village Farms also has
two new beehives housing 30,000 honeybees.
villageexchangecenter.org
To buy straight from the garden and browse
a variety of food and handcrafted products,
head to Stanley Marketplace on Fridays from
May through August, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., and
Southlands Farmers Market at Southlands
Lifestyle
Center
on
Saturdays
from
May through September, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
thelocalcolorado.com/southlands-farmersmarket/
Gateway
to the Rockies | VISITAURORA.COM
27
salad

http://www.gothamgreens.com http://www.villageexchangecenter.org http://www.thezeromarket.com https://thelocalcolorado.com/southlands-farmers-market/ https://thelocalcolorado.com/southlands-farmers-market/ http://www.VISITAURORA.COM

2022 Aurora Visitor Guide

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