Welcome to Durango's Sustainable Business Guide
Whether you are a local or a visitor, we curated this list to help you shop your values and increase your local spending power to transform Durango's economy into a force for people and the planet.
Bookmark this page as Durango's sustainable business community is growing and we offer special discounts to those that shop the Guide. You'll find sustainable, organic, or fair trade, beauty products, clothing, experiences, healthy foods and dining, green architects, builders, and interior designers, outdoor gear, non-toxic paints & zero-waste brands.
Check out our video on Durango Local News!
Learn more about having your business featured in The Guide.
And check out our Sustainable Marketplace for our favorite global sustainable brands—all on one place.
Airbnb/VRBO
Durango Like A Local
Durango Like A Local is an emerging glamping hub and tourist resource for locals and travelers looking for a hometown-take on the best places to eat, hike and adventure in and around the four corners. Come visit for a getaway or stay-cation in their fully furnished glamping tipis, wall tents and studio apartment. Amenities include a community fire pit, picnic tables, lawn area with yard games, and bath house.
Sustainability: Amber and her team believe that true sustainability begins by shopping close to home which is why they prioritize local suppliers and relationships for all their accommodations. Their spaces are filled with locally made goodies and sustainable furniture and bedding and non-toxic cleaners.
Beauty + Cleaning
Cura.Te
Cura.Te makes products right here in Durango for home, bath, body, pets, and oral care. They also make Medicinal Tea Blends from wild harvested and organic herbs.
Sustainability: Cura.Te is certified organic and is conscious of their impact on the environment. Most of their products come in refillable/reusable containers and they do offer refills to the local community. Their packaging is mostly recycled, post-consumer sources, and reusable. Cura.Te is committed to using ingredients and resources from the earth. A lot of “natural” products on the market use ingredients that are harmful to the environment, while Cura.Te uses ingredients that are safe for everyone (including your furry friends) and the environment.
Compost + Soil
Table to Farm Compost
Food - Plant Based Restaurant
Basecamp
Food - Ice-Cream
Cream Bean Berry
Cream Bean Berry is a local artisan ice cream shop here in Durango, CO. Their delicious ice-cream is made from real, organic ingredients from local farms, and they offer a selection of gluten/nut/dairy-free options.
Cream Bean Berry has also made a commitment to sustainability; not only do they support the local economy by sourcing their ingredients from local farms, but they also only use biodegradable cups, spoons, and other items to serve their ice cream.
Food - Energy Bars
Inner Joy Energy Bars
Inner Joy Energy Bars is a fruit based energy bar brand. Pairing locally sourced organic fresh fruit with organic energy stimulants like spirulina, cacoa, and other superfoods, the Inner Joy Energy Bar is both tasty and packs a smooth punch. Nothing like it.
Sustainability: Inner Joy Energy Bars use wholesome and organic ingredients and backyard compostable packaging and shipping containers.
Why Shop Inner Joy Energy Bars? What's not to love about a bar that brings you energy and inner joy?
Food - Mexican Restaurant
Zia Taqueria
Gear - Used Outdoor
Durango Outdoor Exchange
Apparel - Hats
The Flying Hatter
The Flying Hatter upcycles pre-worn custom styled western, fedora, and open crown hats which are hand shaped and adorned with locally sourced and recycled high quality rooster feathers, bones, yucca points, and more. All hats are made locally in Durango by two hatters crafting with traditional hat making methods pouncing, blocking and sewing by hand.
Sustainability: The Flying Hatter recycles materials thrifted from local second hand and vintage stores as well as flea markets and estate sales. The Flying Hatter cleans each hat and then replaces the sweat bands and liners, adding their own recycled hatbands for an artist touch. No production technique is out-sourced, manufactured or mass produced.
Beauty - Bath and More
Passion Flower Beauty
Passion Flower Beauty is based in Durango, CO. Passion Flower Beauty is for those who love natural and organic cosmetics and beauty. All products—from bath balms and soaps to hair elixers, shampoo, and conditioner bars—are made in small batches and some are even made to order. If you don't see your favorite color, scent or shape, you can request a special order just for you.
Sustainability: Passion Flower Beauty uses all natural and organic ingredients and zero harsh chemicals. Their packaging and shipping bags are backyard compostable as well.
Why Shop Passion Flower Beauty? These ladies are beauty artists, anything is possible, and everything is hand made. Our favorites are the succulent soap and hair conditioner bars. Passion Flower Beauty has something for everyone, every age and every body.
Construction - Builder
Mantell-Hecathorn Builders
Greg and Hunter Mantell-Hecathorn proudly represent the only 2 builders in Colorado to earn the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Designation of Master Certified Green Professional. Dedication to excellence continues with Hunter Mantell-Hecathorn as President, who is hands-on with daily operations and executing the details of Certified High Performance homes. With over 20 years of experience his knowledge, expertise and integrity give every homeowner absolute confidence. Their superior quality standards and commitment to Certified High Performance homes truly sets M-H apart from other builders.
Sustainability: Every Mantell-Hecathorn Builders home goes through rigorous third-party testing and certification under these programs: ENERGY STAR, DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes, and/or EPA Indoor Air Plus.
Food - James Ranch
James Ranch Grill + Market
Regenerative. Family. Harmony. James Ranch is ten miles north of Durango, Colorado in the beautiful Animas River Valley. They offer 100% grass fed and finished beef, whey-fed pork, artisan cheese and raw milk from 100% grass-fed, grazing Jersey cows, eggs produced from pastured hens, a spruce tree nursery, an regenerative vegetable and flower garden, and a thriving restaurant grill and market.
Sustainability: James Ranch is family run, utilizing regenerative, sustainable growing practices that center around care for the animals and the land so as to build up the soil to sequester more carbon.
Furniture/Clothing - Upcycled
Adrift Wandering Boutique
Sustainability: We feel good knowing that each of our customers is helping us save millions of pounds of clothing and household goods from being wasted in our landfills. Upcycle Your Journey!
Marketing + Sustainability Hub
Live Creative Studio
Live Creative is a sustainable business, marketing, and shopping hub. Our Creative Studio offers authentic marketing, branding, and sustainable business expertise to ethical, sustainable, and purpose brands. And our Sustainable Lifestyle Team brings the curious and the conscious inspiring sustainable lifestyle, zero waste tips, and the Sustainable Marketplace—where you can shop all the top global sustainable brands in one place.
Join us by subscribing to our weekly eNews Get Real— an Innovation for Good mash up of positive news about sustainable brands and innovators changing business for good.
Solar Power
Shaw Solar
Paint - Non-Toxic
Handcrafted house
We have been using a beautiful grey paint from Handcrafted house to spruce up the Live Creative Studio "home office". This zero VOC paint from Colorhouse is so fun to use. We literally painted an entire room in the morning and redecorated in the afternoon. Quick drying, beautiful cover, and no yucky toxic smell!
Even better, when you shop at Handcrafted house you are supporting a lovely local family and will benefit from their expertise in all things sustainable building.
Yoga + Eco-friendly props
Yoga Durango
Architect
Steve Gates Architect
Established in 2005, Steve Gates Architect and E-Terra Construction create a design/build team that provides our clients with timeless architecture through well-designed spaces and exceptional construction knowledge. They are passionate about introducing innovative and thoughtful contemporary design solutions to benefit their clients and the public.
Sustainability: As stewards of the southwest Colorado environment, Steve Gates Architect is committed to renewable and sustainable building practices while responding to the uniqueness of each building site's natural landscape.
Bike - Electric
Roll ebike + SUP
Roll is a solar powered electric bike and stand up paddle board rental and delivery company. Roll delivers ebikes to your home, VRBO, Airbnb, hotel, or friend's home within 10 miles of Durango. Roll also delivers SUP'S to the Oxbo put-in on the North end of the Animas River. Spend a day on the river and enjoy a cruise by ebike, enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch on the beach, and then paddle down river!
Roll also delivers by ebike "local boxes". Choose from: 'Organic Veggie Local Box': Similar to a CSA; includes a different variety of farm-fresh vegetables each week or the Feel Good Winter Local Box: A surprise box each month filled with zero waste household and kitchen items, plus sustainable and fair trade items from local Durango artisans.
Events - Planning
Durango Event Planners
Durango Event Planners is your one-stop shop for all things sustainable events. Amber and her team work with brides, business owners and individuals to plan gatherings, celebrations, parties, and weddings that cut out needless event waste. Sustainable events can also be timeless, elegant, effortless and beautiful with local sources, cutting the excess and getting creative.
Sustainability: Durango Event Planners are dedicated to providing clients with sustainable alternatives to today's typical event materials. Plus! With rustic and vintage wedding rentals you can take REUSE to the next level and make your special day waste-free.
Food - Grass-Fed-Beef
Grassburger
Food - Microbiome Chef
Luv Box Foods
Luv Box Foods is a local grower of Tempeh (Luv Tempeh), Miso (Luv Miso) and other ancient umami rich foods. Their tempeh is a spore culture grown on any bean, grain or legume paired with the spore Rhizopus Oligosporus, a mushroom-like fungus. It has a savory, yet slightly sweet, mushroomy & nutty flavor. And their miso is made from fresh Koji using Aspergillus oryzae, another filamentous fungus, which they harvest the digestive enzymes from to culture the miso in oak barrels.
Sustainability: Luv Box Foods grows their own ingredients without the use of pesticides and transports their fresh foods by electric bike. They also host farm to table dinners along with classes on tempeh, miso and other living creations.
Garden Center & Nursery
Botanical Concepts
Botanical Concepts is a full service nursery, with everything you need for your garden and landscaping projects, including seeds, soil, houseplants, perennials, shrubs and trees. And they grow all of their organic vegetable starts from seed. Botanical Concepts brings the Durango community a variety of native plants suitable for local wildlife and our particular environment. Plus, Botanical Concepts is happy to share their knowledge.
Sustainability: In addition to selling native plants, organic vegetables, using natural amendments to promote overall soil health and sequester life-giving carbon in the soil, Botanical Concepts uses a variety of programs to diminish waste. For example, their bucket program enables customers to purchase soil by the truckload (or the bucket full!) to reduce the usage of bags. They also plant in fiber pots (instead of single use plastic!) and offer a buy-back program for customers who bring them back.
Interior Design
DplusB Design
DplusB is an interior design & furniture building team with roots in Durango and the San Francisco Bay Area. They are passionate about sustainable and approachable design with an artful juxtaposition. DplusB’s years of experience with acclaimed interior designers has given them diverse residential projects that span different budgets and styles. For home projects big or small, they tackle each design project by bridging the design world with your true sense of home.
Sustainability: From finishes to furniture, we take sustainability and healthy living into consideration for each item we select. Wether it’s renovating existing furniture or finding new pieces made from responsibly made materials, DplusB brings sustainability into your home.
Refill Store
WeFill
Single-use plastics, a seemingly insurmountable worldwide dilemma, is overwhelming but can be approached one container at a time.
WeFill is taking an active role in creating a solution to reduce single-use plastic pollution by offering a refilling station for earth-friendly household and personal-care products.
They have a large selection of organic, palm oil-free castile soaps, hair care products, organic facial products, bath salts, organic hand sanitizers, and plant-based cleaning supplies.
All refillables are sold by the ounce so you can test small amounts before committing to larger quantities.
They also offer plastic free alternatives, such as produce bags, compostable dental floss, toothpaste tablets, bamboo utensils, reusable ear swabs, and so much more.
WeFill is also proud to offer products from 5 other Colorado businesses (4 of which are women-owned), and our top sellers are package-free, locally-made shampoo, conditioner, shaving, lotion, and soap bars by Passion Flower Beauty.