DENVER — In a world grappling with rising environmental concerns and plastic waste, two local entrepreneurs are leading a movement in sustainable shopping. Lyndsey Gantert, owner of ZERO Market, and David Rouse, owner of Off the Bottle Refill Shop, are providing options for consumers seeking eco-friendly alternatives to traditional retail options.
“The goal is to be able to provide an alternative to basically any home or body care product that you would find in a conventional store, but without the packaging, without all of the extra toxins that companies put into products, keeping it as sustainable as possible,” Gantert said. “There was a gap that needed to be filled so that people had a place to be able to go and buy sustainable things without having to look at where it was sourced from, or if the company was actually walking the talk and living those values.”
ZERO market was the first shop of its kind in the Denver metro area, opening nine years ago in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace. Customers are encouraged to bring their own containers to refill products ranging from personal care items, to spices, to household cleaners. There are also options for customers who may have forgotten to bring a reusable container.
“We don't sell any plastic containers. It's all glass and aluminum,” Gantert said. “The intention is never to send it to the landfill. It's either reusable, recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable. There are so many different options, but never into the landfill.”
Rouse, who created Off the Bottle Refill Shop in Denver four years ago, shares a similar vision.
“We're not doing anything new. It's just kind of a newer twist, a newer presentation of an older practice,” Rouse said. “We’re really coming back to an earlier way to shop. By weight, and from bulk.”
In addition to offering eco-friendly products, these stores emphasize the importance of connection to their communities. They both sell products from a host of different local companies to both support local business and reduce the carbon footprint associated with shipping long distances.
Rouse and Gantert agree that making a shift towards sustainable living doesn’t have to be an overwhelming lifestyle change. It’s the little steps than can make a difference.
“It doesn’t need to be daunting,” Rouse said. “Maybe you run out of some laundry detergent. Give it a try. Come pick up some laundry detergent. You don't have to clean out your whole house. You don't have to throw away things that still have use.”
“It’s all about doing your part to help the next generation, and the generations after, live in a place that isn't absolutely miserable and disgusting and filled with garbage,” Gantert said. “If all of us do it, there’s big change there.”
