Although they only raised 86% of their $30,000 Indiegogo goal, Denver residents Jesse and Lyndsey Manderson have not abandoned their dream of opening an organic, locally-focused, and, most importantly, zero packaging and waste-free market. Parents of a toddler and a six-year-old, the couple manages to lead a trash-free lifestyle themselves, all while running a blog and a website to draw attention to the significance of their effort. It’s no secret that Denver cherishes its health and environment; the evidence can be seen in its ever-growing natural grocery store and restaurant options. Jesse and Lyndsey take it one brave step further. Innovators Peak spoke with Lyndsey to discuss their personal journey in becoming zero waste, opening the market, and balancing their entrepreneurial spirit, sense of activism, and commitment to veganism with raising two young children.

Innovators Peak: Which came first: the decision to open a zero-waste market or the decision to live a zero-waste life?

Lyndsey Manderson: It’s funny because it’s kind of a blur which happened first, a bit like the chicken and the egg. We saw this documentary called “The Clean Bin Project,” and it was about this couple who challenged themselves to live zero-waste for a year. It wasn’t even on our radar before that point. We watched it and were incredibly inspired, although it took us a little while to dive in and do it ourselves. The idea came a bit before the market, but the market came right on its heels, because we found the zero-waste lifestyle really difficult and incredibly time-consuming. It was hard to find what we needed to live this way. The first week of it inspired us to open the market.

IP: That’s a huge achievement. What made you want to adopt this lifestyle?

LM: The documentary was certainly a catalyst; although, we had also begrudgingly noticed how much garbage we were creating. That didn’t really become completely apparent until we watched that, and suddenly it was hard to ignore. We were disappointed. We like to think of ourselves as an ever-evolving family that’s always trying to do our part. So it was the perfect next challenge, another way of becoming better people.

IP: Any tips for people looking to do the same?

LM: In the beginning it was an overwhelming thought to have: to try and reduce our waste, especially having kids. It seemed like we had so much more because of that. I wish I’d have known the simple things when I got started, such as always bringing your own bags when grocery shopping. Now, people are having an easier time remembering that in their daily lives, because it’s becoming routine. Writing down what you’re throwing away really helped to put what waste we were creating into perspective. We could refer to this document to seek out alternatives so we didn’t have to throw the same thing away again. The change might take a few months. It’s been over a year for us, and we’re still trying to figure out some things we can change, especially the really difficult to avoid things. But you have to take baby steps. You can’t try to do everything at once or else you’re setting yourself up for disappointment, especially in this disposable culture that we live in.

IP: How did you come up with the idea for the market?

LM: Jesse and I had been talking about starting a business of our own for a long time. Both of us are pretty entrepreneurially minded, and we were thinking of some sort of store.  It all fell into place when we started the blog and took on this challenge—the market just made sense. We wanted to create a business that helped out environmentally, or with animal rights or another one of our core values. It just seemed so relevant to what’s going on in our culture: it was one of the biggest changes we thought we needed to see. We were looking for a place like this to shop at ourselves, so we just made it.

IP: You got very close to your Indiegogo goal, but not all the way. How is the market progressing?

LM: We’re in the process of securing the rest of our funding through a loan, and we’re talking to some folks that are interested in investing. Right now it’s mostly just getting that last little bit before we can set up the storefront. We have 99% of the inventory laid out, and we certainly need to get that in line before we can nail down a location. We do have a few spots narrowed down, but it’s nothing solid. Although it’s progressing, it’s definitely a long process that we want to make sure we get right the first time. We don’t want to be sitting around waiting on permits. Life is busy; we just moved here, so it’s been pretty crazy, but it’s still so exciting at the same time because the ball is finally rolling.

IP: When can we expect to be able to shop there?

LM: The goal is either late spring or early summer. It could be closer to the end of summer, but hopefully we’ll end up right in that perfect spot where we can have lots of really delicious, fresh, local produce.

IP: Describe your vision for the market. Will people bring their own re-usable containers?

LM: Yes, containers or any kind of mesh or cloth bags. We’re also working on an exchange program where people can bring in their own jars, leave them and grab other ones. That’s in progress as well, although we need to be positive that everything is in order with the health regulations for that. We’ll also have a tare station where people can come in and weigh their own containers. So it doesn’t matter what you have because we’d have this system set up where you could deduct that from the cost of the food.

IP: You mentioned having a few potential locations. What’s ideal?

LM: We’d love for it to be easily accessible for people that aren’t driving—so places near public transportation, bike routes, or areas where people walk a lot. We’re also looking in neighborhoods that have environmentally friendly core values with people that prefer shopping locally and organically. Areas that don’t already have healthy options are being considered as well.

IP: You probably get this all the time, but how do you balance living a zero-waste life with raising two kids?

LM: Like any lifestyle change, it just takes practice. You get used to it after a while. It did seem impossible in the beginning, although our whole family is vegan so we’re very used to that question. We learned by trial and error, and we established that there are certain things we can have and things we can’t. The kids are completely and totally involved. If something is triple wrapped in plastic they know not to ask for it. And they really get it and think it’s cool to be a part of. One of them is only two, so she’s not quite a part of the process yet, but our six-year-old is very into it. She’s so clever; this is her way of life. We can only hope that she continues on with that. We’re passing on our core values, just like any parent would.

Be sure to follow Lyndsey and Jesse’s progress on their blog.

by Kerry Gallagher, All images courtesy of ZERO Market.