Roberto Meza was working as a multi-media artist and MIT graduate student when he went encountered some health challenges. He found that eating healthy greens restored his health and spirit so powerfully that he started apprenticing with a farmer and then moved to Colorado to start Emerald Gardens, a greenhouse-based farm that delivers microgreens to customers in the Denver area—and brings a focus to issues of food sovereignty, equity, and building a robust local food system.
2’18 Roberto’s transition from the arts to agriculture
7’23 using food as medicine–mental & physical
9’31 eating leafy greens and fermented foods for gut health
11’20 moving to Colorado to start farming
13’27 growing “microgreens”
16’50 customers report healing benefits
19’17 the value of eating whole foods, not the supplements
20’10 how they grow the greens in a greenhouse
21’26 ground to air heat transfer system
22’29 using minimal water
23’30 multiple markets for greens, including access for food insecure communities
25’21 people eating healthier food as a response to the pandemic
27’21 addressing inequities in the food system
29’23 food sovereignty project that includes community members who want to get involved in growing
30’11 East Denver Food Hub
33’10 social capital model for food production
34’16 ways to develop local food production and distribution
35’13 connecting art and agriculture through creativity
37’19 innovating within the industrial food system, providing an alternative model on a local scale
39’31 looking to create policies that promote healthy food, strong economies, and community access
41’02 developing a model for other communities
41’42 developing a local food infrastructure
43’38 local procurement model
44’20 incentivizing institutions to buy local food
46’54 hospitals and clinics starting to bring in healthier food
