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Vail Valley ranchers say they have the only zero-carbon footprint marijuana grow in Colorado

Rob and Linda Trotter looked around at their TNT Ranch, at the fertile soil, at the snowmelt water that starts at 12,500 feet above sea level and flows to them before it goes anywhere else, and decided they should grow something.

And so they launched Pot Zero, which they say are the most environmentally conscious marijuana products in Colorado and beyond. Their outdoor grow operation creates no carbon footprint.

They’ve been growing things for years: hay, Scottish Highland cattle, kids … so marijuana wasn’t quite the paradigm shift others might think it would be.



The hydroelectric plant generates all the power the ranch needs and more. The sun does its part.

The TNT Ranch has been recognized twice for resource stewardship by the local Eagle County Soil Conservation District. In 2014, the TNT Ranch was named Large Acreage Conservationist of the Year.

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“We are blessed with fantastic mountain loam soil, intense ultraviolet light because of our 8,200-foot elevation and water that comes directly to our property from a pristine, 12,500-foot mountain,” Rob Trotter said.

They call their water supply “Snow to Grow.” All the material is organic and grown on the ranch. The Scottish Highland cattle herd provides some of the organics. Nature provides the rest.

“When you bring all that together, the plants love it,” Rob Trotter said.

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So, when Colorado voters legalized marijuana, Rob and Linda expanded their operation, but they insisted on doing it the way they’ve done everything else: 100 percent sustainable, zero carbon footprint and zero chemicals. They have been in operation since May 2015 and said it’s the only zero carbon footprint cultivation in Colorado. They’re focusing on strains that help people deal with pain and other physical and emotional issues and avoid opiates. This year’s crop is in the finishing stage.

“We are very passionate about having the cleanest, greenest and most sustainable operation in Colorado. From an energy point of view, we’re sustainable. From an environmental point of view, we’re sustainable,” Rob Trotter said.

Pot Zero’s products include both flower and CO2 hash oil. Pot Zero is available at all Roots RX locations as well as Sweet Leaf Pioneer in Eagle; Altitude Organic Cannabis in Dillon; Sergeant Greenleaf in Georgetown; Green Grass in Central City; and Herbal Wellness in Lafayette.

Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.


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