our farm sites
spirit of the sun has been stewarding land in Colorado for the past few years, but we still do not own our own land. scroll to the bottom to learn about the importance of LandBack.
All of the land that we steward is cared for in line with Indigenous land practices. We grow our Indigenous foodways to restore our ecosystems, feed our community, and preserve our cultural knowledge for future generations. The food from our farms goes directly to our Food Share to feed our elders, their families and the unhoused.
Sneaky Squirrel
Farm
Kaizen’s Sneaky Squirrel Garden is located in Athmar Park of Denver. Thousands of pounds of produce, as well as plant starts and seeds are donated to low income community members to impart greater food security and hunger relief in our community. We use the "take what you need and leave the rest for the community" concept.
emerald gardens plot
A rural farm in Bennett, CO that is stewarded by Spirit of the Sun in partnership with Roberto Meza's Emerald Gardens. This plot will be transitioned into a native ecology restoration site by Spirit of the Sun in 2023.
Troy Chavez Memorial Peace Garden
This is a memorial garden run by Ana Chavez whose son was killed as a result of gang violence. The land is owned by Leprino Foods. It has been operating under Ana’s supervision since 1993 (?) and has approximately 29 beds. Four of the beds are perennials and herbs like chamomile and lavender that Ana maintains, one is a large medicine wheel maintained by Ana, one bed is used by Nita Gonzalez, one bed is used by Carlos, Margaret, and Paola, one bed is used by Kyle, two beds are used by Mallory, and one bed is used by Christine. The rest are stewarded by Spirit of the Sun. The front half of the memorial garden is filled with perennials and herbs as a butterfly garden and traditional medicine source that only Ana and her sister Martha tend to.
Sun Valley People Center
This is a single raised-bed in the community garden at the Sun Valley People Center. Our plot is managed by Denver Botanic Gardens.
Indigenous foodscapes demonstration garden
This is a small suburban garden hosting Indigenous foodscapes in partnership with local North Park Hill homeowner Gary. In 2022, the site was innoculated with mycelium through an educational workshop with our Native Youth in order to improve the soil and ecosystem health in the neighborhood.
our Landback
initiative
GIVE
BACK
Landback is an Indigenous-led environmental, cultural and political movement that works to place Indigenous land back in Indigenous hands. At Spirit of the Sun, we believe in rematriation. Rematriation signifies a return to Mother Earth and a re-establishment of the important relationship between people and land. By placing land back in the hands of Indigenous people, we are choosing to disrupt systems of patriarchy, oppression and violence by instead affirming the value of relationships and intentional, reciprocal care above all forms of profit and extraction. Land stewarded by Indigenous people contains a significant portion of our Earth's biodiversity, and we need to trust that returning land to Indigenous people is a step towards returning our world to a more healed and balanced system. We need the support of allies who are truly committed to restorative justice, in order to place land back in the care of Indigenous people. Please join us in this work.