From Passion To Action 

A Guide to Climate-Positive Food Actions in the Roaring Fork Valley:

Professional Nordic skier and Mtn Bio Operations Team lead, Evelina Sutro, loves food. As she put it, “What is my latest food fascination or obsession? It’s always evolving! Right now, it’s about understanding where things come from and the story behind them.”

Lina is also a climate enthusiast, so she was confident in her climate-positive food choices, but after attending Mtn Bio’s regenerative agriculture event at Coffman Ranch, and a screening of the powerful film ‘Common Ground’ she discovered a whole new dimension of how our food choices affect the climate. “Before Coffman,” Lina shared, “I didn’t have any idea about carbon sinks, like using cattle to increase carbon sequestration. I didn’t know anything about full circle carbon accounting.” She learned that regenerative farming practices, like cover crops and fallowing fields, can actually draw down carbon from the atmosphere, turning our farmlands into vital allies in the fight against climate change.  

LINA’S STORY

Lina couldn’t believe the ecosystem of climate-positive food production that was happening in the Roaring Fork Valley, from locally grown food to farm collaboratives.

Inspired by Mtn Bio’s food events, Lina signed up for Evergreen ZeroWaste’s composting service. “It’s amazing how much methane you save from not putting your food scraps in the garbage.” She also found that Evergreen ZeroWaste has organic fertilizers, eliminating another wasteful, chemically enhanced step in the food cycle!  

Lina’s decision to compost keeps our landfills from producing methane, which traps 28x more heat than CO2.

Photos by Lina Sutro, Roaring Fork Mill, Seed Peace, and EverGreen ZeroWaste

Food Action You Can Take

Here are five of the most impactful climate-positive food actions you can take in your own life that collectively make a huge difference!

  1. Embrace Plant-Rich Eating: Reducing your consumption of animal products, especially feedlot-raised meat, can significantly lower your food carbon footprint. Embracing “Meatless Mondays” or vegetarian or vegan meals during your week cuts carbon emissions 2.5x every meal. This is because livestock production contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions through methane, deforestation, water, and land use. However, as Lina notes, "It doesn’t mean you have to go vegan, but try to buy the beef that’s right out your front door."

  2. Buy Local: Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or shop at Farmer’s Markets. Buying directly from local farmers reduces transportation emissions and supports Roaring Fork and North Fork Valley’s agricultural infrastructure and innovators. You can also eat hyper-local by growing your own food with windowsill herb gardens or a plot in the community garden.

  3. Eat Organic and Seasonal Foods: Choosing local, organic foods that are in season minimizes emissions associated with transportation, refrigeration, and extractive farming practices. Organic foods shield you and the planet from the incredible chemical agents used to keep our food fresh as it’s shipped around the world. 

  4. Compost AND Reduce Food Waste: According to the Speed and Scale Action Plan, 31% of food is wasted in the United States, contributing to methane emissions when it ends up in landfills. Simple actions at home, like meal planning, bulk-buying, proper storage, and using leftovers creatively, can make a big difference. 

  5. Support Regenerative Agriculture: Look for Regenerative Certified products that are doing double duty for the planet and your health, by fixing soil. Watch the film “Common Ground” to learn about the incredible promise and need for regenerative farming. Learn more about regenerative farming and the importance of soil health at the Farm Collaborative at Cozy Point Ranch.

A healthy food cycle starts and ends with SOIL.

Where to Start in the Roaring Fork Valley

Mtn Bio’s events bring together inspiring local climate-focused organizations that are working on regenerative agriculture, education, and locally grown food, including:

  • Seed Peace and Two Roots Farm: two local farms and CSAs with a mission to create a cooperative agricultural ecosystem with farmer support and career opportunities in the Roaring Fork Valley. 

  • Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT): supporting regenerative agriculture on their properties, like Coffman Ranch, creating rich local food systems, while exploring ways to create carbon-sequestering land. 

  • Mountain Heart Brewing, Marble Distilling, and Aquila Cellars: locally crafted spirits with climate-positive missions and good local vibes.

There are many more exceptional resources to explore in the valley! Take your first step by perusing the list below!

CSA’s

  • Two Roots Farm

    • Pricing: $995 for the entire season, or $585 for every other week, 

    • Schedule: May through September

    Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) at Rock Bottom Ranch

    • Pricing: $650 for 18 weeks

    • Schedule: June through September

  • Dooley Creek Farm

    • Meat CSA

    • Pricing: Small ($1,565) and family ($3,095), monthly

    • Schedule: First week of the month starting in August for one year

    Seed Peace / Wild Mountain Seeds

    • Pricing: $30 per week

    • Schedule: June through October

    Sustainable Settings

    • Pricing: $800 for 16 weeks

    • Schedule: Early June through mid-September

  • Check out Local Harvest for a full list of amazing CSA’s near Paonia. Most have weekly deliveries in the Roaring Fork Valley.

  • Peach Valley CSA Farm

    • Pricing: Several options available on their website

    • Schedule: June through October

FARMER’S MARKETS

  • Aspen Saturday Market

    • Saturdays, 8 am – 3 pm

    • Located at Hunter and Hopkins 

    • Through Oct. 18

    Buttermilk Fruit Stand

    • Daily, 7:30 am- 8 pm in season

    Aspen Emporium

    • Located on Main Street in Aspen

  • Basalt Sunday Market

    • Sundays, 10 am – 2 pm

    • Located at Midland Spur

    • June 18 – October 1

    Skip’s Market

    • Located on Midland Ave, Downtown Basalt

  • Carbondale Farmers’ Market

    • Wednesdays, 10 am – 3 pm

    • Located at Fourth and Main

    • June 14 – October 1

    Mana Foods

    • Located on Highway 133

  • Redstone General Store

  • Glenwood Springs Market

    • Tuesdays, 4  – 8 pm

    • June 13 – September 23

    • Located in Sayre Park, 1702 Grand Ave.

    Glenwood Springs Saturday Market

    • Saturdays, 8 am-3 pm

    • Located in Rite Aid Parking Lot, 15th & Grand

    • June – November

OTHER YUMMIES!

The MOST important thing you can do:

Share what you learn with your network! 

Lina's enthusiasm didn't stop with her own actions. The connection between food and a healthy planet, “made me think about human health, the benefit you get from these small decisions may not feel big now, but when you’re 60 and healthy, it’s huge." Lina recognized the importance of sharing this information for multiple reasons, and her conversations have already inspired change.

Learning from someone close to you is often the first step in someone’s climate journey. “I spew all this to my family - push this on a lot of people in my life. It does start local, it starts with the people in your circle." 

So, remember to share your journey so the impact of your own action can compound.

Resources to explore

If you are inspired to learn more about the overlap of food and climate within our valley and more broadly, there are plenty of resources to explore.

MUST Watch Movie!

Podcasts and Talks by our favorite Climate Heroes!

Websites and Online Tools

Books and Articles

We encourage you to continue learning.

Come to Mtn Bio’s events to connect with local experts, learn about new initiatives, and discover more ways you can be a part of the climate solution, one action at a time!

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