AGE: 2

LOCATION: Mountain View Farm, Harpers Ferry, VA (where her parents have an organic farm)

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Going to the farmers market in D.C., Picking Strawberries, Playing with Blue and Cricket (Dogs)

WHAT “LIVE FREE” MEANS TO HER: “Playing while her parents work on the farm.”

For the past two days we have been sleeping in the middle of the house on the floor, with ALL of our stuff piled in the living room/dining room/kitchen! It’s messy…to say the least. The two rooms, however, look STELLAR and look brand new! We are turning the master bedroom into our office–so SWEET and getting all of our office stuff out of our bedroom (finally)! Soon we will feel like we are truly settled and moved in fully. WE ARE STOKED!

We basically should have a TV show on HGTV for how AWESOME our remodel is…THANK YOU HOME DEPOT!

AGE: 21

LOCATION: Denver, CO

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Art, spanish, learning, exploring, lakes, mountains, finding places that have both lakes and mountains, learning how to cook, skiing

WHAT “LIVE FREE” MEANS TO THEM AND THEIR FAMILY: “Living free is to stress less, and live in the moment knowing life is great even in the simplest of moments.”

May Days were always the BEST at DU! It is a week long event full of FUN held every year on the Campus Green at DU. Alex and I always LOVED it! It’s the end of the year, school is almost over, the weather is getting hotter, and you spend free time playing AWESOME games and celebrating the BEST month of the year: MAY!

Football Toss for some LOVE

This year we were HONORED to be a part of the EPIC event! Love Grown Foods partnered with DU Peer Education (DUPE’D) and spread the LOVE and health at the carnival! We had a BLAST!

DUPE'D was giving massages

We spread the LOVE through the entire carnival:

LOVE played FAT CATS

LOVE did a little TWISTER

LOVE became the Mascot's mascot: GO BOONE!

LOVE even went to great heights to meet the JOKER on STILTS

You pretty much could say that it was AN EPIC DAY OF LOVE AND FUN UNDER THE SUN (and rain and wind)! DU students were stoked and we were pumped! MAY DAYS pretty much are the best holiday EVERRR!

Every Saturday starting May 1st: Cherry Creek Farmers Market

Every Wednesday starting June 16th: Cherry Creek Farmers Market

Every Sunday starting June 20th: Stapleton Farmers Market

Get more information on the Colorado Fresh Markets and continue to THINK GLOBALLY but ACT LOCALLY!

We passed out a LOT of LOVE and donated $1 for every bag sold to the Dumb Friends League…it’s all about spreading the LOVE!

LOCATION: Monument, CO

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: They love to read, play baseball, snuggle up with their parents for movie night in the basement, and volunteer with animals.

WHAT “LIVE FREE” MEANS TO THEM AND THEIR FAMILY: “Simply trying to enjoy all that life and our earth has to offer us. That being said, it is very important to our family to “play it forward” and to “give back” whenever we can, even if it is a simple gesture as we have all be quite fortunate in our lives.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

ReCYcLE

Recycling is easy–especially in DENVER where we have what’s called a “single stream” program so you don’t even have to separate you different types of materials. If you’re a Denver resident sign up here to get a recycling bin for your home! If you live in an apartment complex, talk to your landlord or HOA about implementing a recycling program for the whole building! We’re all in this together!

COMPOST

Take the organic matter that you accumulate throughout the day (i.e. your apple core, egg shells, tea bags etc.) and collect them so they can break down and become DELICIOUS fertilizer!! To compost in your own home check out these locations of where to find the right compost bin for you! If you want to make this process even more simple, sign up to get a compost bin at your house so that it is picked up when your trash and recycling are! (PRETTY MUCH STELLAR!)

BYOB–as in Bring Your Own Bag

Think about the hundreds of thousands of plastic and paper bags used once by people checking out of the store and then that end up in the landfill, cluttering the streets, clogging storm drains, or even mistaken by an animal for food…YIKES! Either bring your own bags to the store, or re-use the ones you already have. Keep your re-usable bags in the car so that they are always there when you end up at the store for some last-minute shopping! Also, check out these STELLAR bags that fold-up small enough to fit in your pocket or purse!

Reusable Containers

You can even reuse containers from other products (i.e. yogurt containers and hummus containers are perfect for that on-the-go meal!)

Whether it’s for your coffee or your sandwich you take to work, put them in a reusable container! The less we use of paper cups and plastic bags, the better!

Ride, Walk or Car-Pool

These awesome Love Grown fans RODE THEIR BIKES to pick up some BULK granola--that's double the GREEN!

The weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer…take FULL advantage by riding your bike or walking to work. If that’s not an option, look into where you can walk/ride to. Maybe it’s dinner, maybe it’s Sunday breakfast with your friends/family, or maybe it’s just around the block to take a moment to breath, relax, and enjoy the beauty of being outside! Also, think about sharing wheels: carpooling to work might not be an option, but what about Saturday nights out on the town or Sunday BBQs with your crew of friends?

Buy Recycled

Our boxes are made from 70% recycled materials and are also 100% recyclable! PLUS they are part SFI (Sustainable Force Initiate) -- meaning come from trees that are harvested sustainably! WHOOT WHOOT!

When it comes to purchasing new items, look for things that are made from recycled materials. There are so many options out there–whether it’s paper towels or tshirts, cut back on your carbon footprint by supporting companies that are putting greener items on the shelves!

Clean GREEN

We love JASON products--they are organic and earth-friendly!

Not only are the toxins in most cleaning supplies harsh on the earth…that are harmful to you and your family too! Look for “green” cleaners for everything from laundry detergent, dish soap, to all-purpose cleaners. This carries over to your shampoo/conditioner and body wash too! All those crazy chemicals might leave your hair silky and smooth…but the long term use may be doing more harm then good, not to mention all those suds in the water go down the drain and end up somewhere. Try to use organic body products.

preCYCLE

These large containers from COSTCO are better than buying 4 small containers over the course of the week--plus more affordable!

We have heard of recycling, but precycling is a GREAT thing to do too! When purchasing items, buy in bulk. That way you cut down on packaging and in the end produce less waste! COSTCO is great for this! Choose to buy bulk items (rather than snack-pack size) and then put the bulk items into reusable small containers. Rather than stocking up on juice boxes or canned drinks, seek to buy larger containers and then put them in serving-size cups that seal to bring with you (or your kids).

Hand-Me-Downs

Check out our rag-bucket! Great for cleaning and are all from old shirts, towels and sheets! (Plus check out our LARGE EARTH FRIENDLY detergent!)

Whether the style has changed, your body has changed, or you simply no longer wear certain clothes, GIVE THEM TO SOMEONE WHO WILL! Don’t just pitch them, find a local consignment store or thrift shop. They will GLADLY take your unwanted garments. If you do have a whole or rip in something, take advantage: make it a rag! We have a bucket of rags that we use for cleaning to house/car. That way you are not buying new towels to turn into rags and you are not using paper towels that you will have to throw away.

BUY LOCAL

Summer is almost here and farmer’s markets are getting ready for their big debuts! Local produce is KEY to being green. Not only are your cutting back on the amount of fuel used to get that succulent strawberry into your mouth, but you are also supporting your Colorado local community. Colorado is a fruitful state offering everything from fruits and veggies to honey and wine! Plus, there is NOTHING like the taste of that perfect in-season food that was picked literally hours ago! Look for Love Grown Foods at the Cherry Creek Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Stapleton Farmers Market on Sundays this summer!! Mention this blog and there’s a good chance you we will gladly send you home with some form of LOVE from Love Grown Foods!

As always, LIVE FREE!

“Unbelievable with frozen blueberries and soy milk. Thanks for a great breakfast!”

-Dan from Seattle, Washington

“A week ago I had never tried Granola. You were at King
Soopers in Littleton and giving out samples. So I tried the Cranberry
and Pecans. It was awesome. My friend and I both loved it. This week I
purchased every other Granola I could find just to try the
competition. They all taste bad like I thought they would. I am
returning all my open sample bags and buying more of yours. It has
been a nice treat to keep at my desk when I work. Thanks for a good
tasting product that is healthy for me. Best wishes and good luck in
your adventure.”

-Laura