Cool Boulder has partnered with Zero Foodprint to build healthy soil on local farm land

Mar 15

Written By Tiffany Nurrenbern (Zero Foodprint, Director of Programs)

Cool Boulder has partnered with Zero Foodprint to help scale regenerative practices on local farm land

Cool Boulder is the community’s nature-based climate solutions campaign with the goal of regenerating Boulder's natural (and agricultural!) ecosystems. The City has been leading the charge in our public spaces, but much of the work needed to create absorbent landscapes needs to take place on private land. That’s where community partners come in. No one can tackle climate change on their own, but with collective action we can make our community cooler, healthier, and better able to withstand wildfires, floods, and a more volatile climate. Cool Boulder partner, Zero Foodprint facilitates this by teaming up with local food businesses and farmers to rebuild the health of our soil on local farms and ranches through the power of regenerative agriculture.

About Zero Foodprint

Zero Foodprint is a non-profit organization mobilizing local food economies to restore the climate, one acre at a time.

Food systems are a critical force for averting and adapting to the climate crisis. By creating an economic connection from consumers and business back to farmers and ranchers, we can restore soil health and sequester carbon. After years of running award winning restaurants, Zero Foodprint’s founders wanted to do more than make choices in a broken system, so they began working with other food and beverage businesses to contribute 1% of sales to change how food is grown to restore the climate.

When we invest in bringing the next practice to the next acre every person who grows food, every person who sells food, and every person on this planet who eats food will be better for it.

What does regenerative farming mean?

When we talk about regenerative farming, we’re talking about farming with nature – not against it. Zero Foodprint invests in agricultural practices that build healthy soil and sequester carbon, things like: applying compost, planting cover crops, integrating trees into livestock foraging (aka silvopasture), reducing tilling, and managing grazing. The goal is to help improve local soil health. Improving soil health increases water retention, crop yield, and the nutritional value of the food we eat, all while removing emissions from the atmosphere. That’s local climate resilience.

Closeup of a farmer planting a plant in healthy soil — Image courtesy of Emma K. Morris

1% to restore local soil and climate

Participating restaurants, food and beverage businesses commit 1% of sales to support regenerative agriculture practices on nearby farms and ranches. Just a few cents from restaurant meals or other food purchases, in aggregate, can create acres and acres of healthy soil and shift us from the extractive “conventional” agricultural system to a regenerative food system. You might see that as 1% line item on your check – when you do, you know that change is literally going to change how food is being grown in your community.

Participating businesses

We are grateful to the visionary businesses that launched our Zero Foodprint community in Colorado and are pioneering this local movement vital for the future of our community: Ash’kara, Dry Storage, JAX, Nude Foods, River and Woods, Subway (all 5 Boulder locations), and Wonder Press. See a full list of participating businesses here!

JAX restaurant and food they serve — Image courtesy of JAX

Local impacts

Since 2021, Zero Foodprint has awarded over $100,000 to 11 carbon farming projects across CO expected to remove 3,000 tons of CO2e from the atmosphere. This is equivalent to not burning 300,000 gallons of gas! Check out the funded projects here!

Meet a grant recipient!

Boulder Valley Honey, an enterprise comprised of several apiaries spread across Boulder county. With a Restore Colorado grant from Zero Foodprint, Boulder Valley Honey planted 500 woody plant species across their apiaries, to provide food and habitat for their own honeybees as well as native pollinators. Earthwork and compost application on each property was also supported through this project, rounding out a suite of practices that will help the beekeepers continue making delicious honey while regenerating pollinator habitats around the county. This project has an expected carbon removal benefit of over 400 tons of CO2e–that’s the same as not burning 45,572 gallons of gasoline.

Three photos. Farmer with honeybees, a farmer with cows, and a pasture during set behind the mountains — Image courtesy of Boulder Valley Honey

New round of grants live

We are excited to announce that the new round of grants is now live. Zero Foodprint will award approximately $200,000 in grants to Colorado farmers and ranchers. The grants are available for spreading compost on depleted soil, cover cropping, technical assistance, and more – whether a producer is already practicing regenerative agriculture, or just taking their first steps toward regenerative farming.

Applications will be accepted through July 20th and we will announce grant recipients by the end of August: APPLY HERE

What you can do to help us grow our local 1% regen movement and help create Cool Boulder

Share the news about local grants being available with the farming friends: They can apply here.
Patronize the business that have joined our 1% movement: View the full list here!
When you’re visiting your favorite restaurant (winery, brewery, or packaged food brand) let them know that you, and customers like you, want to be able to support local farms, build healthy soil, and take climate action. You can also share your feedback with businesses by using the Remark app if you aren’t able to connect in person. Use Remark here

Tiffany Nurrenbern (Zero Foodprint, Director of Programs)

Tiffany organizes collaborations that foster collective action towards a more healthy, vibrant, equitable and sustainable food system. She works on projects that aim to redefine the power of networks in the midst of generational changes in how we cooperate, communicate, and affiliate with causes and organizations. For many years, Tiffany worked at Roots of Change where she built and facilitated the California Food Policy Council, and led Roc's Urban-Rural Roundtable Program. She previously served as program director for the Farmers Guild, while concurrently working front of house at a ZFP member restaurant. She has served as a leader of Slow Food Russian River, President of Slow Food California, and an International Councilor for Slow Food International.