---
title: Conserved Colorado
teaser: 'Announcing Conserved Colorado: a community outreach project in partnership
  with Colorado Open Lands.

  '
tags: news,community,denver
author: Corwin Harrell
published_on: 2016-06-07
---

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<br>

In 2015, thoughtbot Denver launched [Cultivate
Colorado](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/cultivate-colorado): a competition
granting a local organization the opportunity to partner with us pro-bono to
design and build a product dedicated to solving a social or environmental issue.
Cultivate Colorado was thoughtbot's way of expressing gratitude to our
community, and an opportunity for us to use our skills to help further a cause
defined by a local organization doing good work in our community and beyond.

After reviewing over 40 applications from organizations around the state seeking
an opportunity to build something that would make a difference in our community,
thoughtbot partnered with [Colorado Open Lands](http://coloradoopenlands.org/)
to launch [Conserved Colorado](https://conservedcolorado.org/): an online
directory for goods and services offered by Colorado conserved land owners
direct to consumers.

Thanks to a wealth of information that Colorado Open Lands had collected over
the years, and with input from several conserved land owners themselves, the
resulting directory is now one of the most accessible methods of learning about
and obtaining local goods and services from ranchers, farmers, and [conserved
land](http://coloradoopenlands.org/conservation-work/) owners all across the
state.

## The Process

At the outset of the project, thoughtbot worked closely with Colorado Open Lands
to conduct a [Product Design
Sprint](https://thoughtbot.com/product-design-sprint) in an effort to clearly
define the problem that Conserved Colorado would aim to solve: eliminating any
barriers between mindful consumers and the goods and services that conserved
land owners in Colorado provide.

![Product Design Sprint](https://images.thoughtbot.com/conserved-colorado/WsQZLfOcTyG7C0SMFVAY_cc-sprint-1.jpg)

In addition, interviews with consumers and conserved land owners themselves
proved to be a key part of the process early on, providing us with invaluable
insight into their needs and concerns. This insight allowed us to create an
accessible and useful platform for both land owners and consumers alike.

![Screen Shot of Conserved Colorado](https://images.thoughtbot.com/conserved-colorado/DZOLOYSSTrqoeXhACcMj_conserved-ui.jpg)

Conserved Colorado, the resulting online directory, serves a dual purpose: to
provide information about the goods and services that conserved land owners
offer direct to consumers, and to educate the larger audience about the
importance of conserved land in the state and beyond. Throughout the project,
thoughtbot was gifted with several opportunities to witness first-hand the
impact of Colorado Open Lands' and conserved land owners' work, and the
bountiful relationship they aim to foster with mindful consumers in our
community. We're proud and happy to have had a hand in furthering the work of
Colorado Open Lands in partnership with conserved land owners across our
beautiful state.