Denver Urban Garden’s CEO Creates Opportunity to Make Real Change

Linda Appel Lipsius | Photo courtesy of Denver Urban Gardens

When a friend recruited Linda Appel Lipsius for the board at Denver Urban Gardens in the summer of 2020, little did Lipsius know that approximately three months into her board service there would be a staff shakeup and she’d be tapped to step in as interim chief executive officer. Four months later, the CEO’s title was hers alone.

The daughter of Orange Glo International founders Max and Elaine Appel, Lipsius quickly realized that while she’d never set out to lead a nonprofit organization, the career shift was a good one because her business background and passion for protecting the environment are key elements in being an effective leader for DUG.

Even though, she says with a chuckle, “I am not, in fact, a very good gardener. However, I have been told I garden with a lot of spirit.”

Nonprofit organizations, Lipsius explains, have the same disciplines, but different rhythms, as a business. “At DUG, high standards and the opportunity to create real change exist.”

Like with the Etkin Family Food Forest Initiative, where perennial food-producing trees, bushes and vines are added to existing DUG gardens to “add dimensionality, biodiversity, shade, water retention, carbon capture and legacy food production to what DUG can provide.”

DUG also runs the city’s master composting programs and leads community classes that support Denver’s new pay-as-you-throw trash pick-up program.

Denver Urban Gardens, one of the nation’s largest independent community garden organizations, started in 1978 when a group of North Denver residents transformed a vacant parking lot into a safe space for their Hmong neighbors to grow their own food. The concept soon spread to other neighborhoods, and in 1985, DUG was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Today, DUG has 17,500 gardeners, who speak 40 languages and grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, bushes and trees in 193 gardens in six metro Denver counties. The gardens produce some 650,000 pounds of food annually, 10 percent of which is donated.

Lipsius was introduced to earth-friendly entrepreneurship by her parents. Their Orange Glo International—the maker of such environmentally sound cleaning products as OxiClean, Kaboom, Powerizer and MagicMax—began in the garage of their Denver-area home. In 2006, they sold the company to Church & Dwight, parent company of brands that include Arm & Hammer, Waterpik and Nair, for $325 million.

“My job in college was going to county fairs with Dad to pitch Orange Glo,” Lipsius says. “I went from pitching products to helping my mother fill bottles in our garage to running our business in Europe.”

After living in New York, Washington, D.C., and London, Lipsius returned to Denver to be the co-founder of Teatulia Regenerative Organic Teas, which sources 100 percent organic teas from Bangladesh to use in the hot, iced and canned teas sold throughout the U.S., and the mama’hood, a shop and studio for new and expectant moms and their families. She maintains an ownership and advisory position in Teatulia but recently sold mama’hood.

We recently talked to Lipsius about her work and what drives her.

As DUG’s chief executive, what has brought you the most happiness?
Oh, gosh! I simply love my work. Connecting people to the soil and each other and helping them on a journey of discovery of their own potential is what brings me joy. Plus, I was lucky to come into an organization with strong bones, a strong brand and an extraordinary team. I had loads to work with from the moment I stepped on board.

DUG currently has 193 gardens. How many are added per year, and is there a limit?
This year we are adding two to three gardens and 14 food forests. We are working on figuring out a way for us to grow faster—to meet the outsized demand for both—without overtaxing the organization. I’m happy to report we’re making good progress!

How do people describe you?
Boundless energy, enthusiasm and joy.

Who do you most admire?
My parents. They taught me humility, curiosity, gratitude and generosity.

One thing you absolutely cannot live without:
Apples.

A typical non-working day will find me …
Leisurely enjoying a cup of coffee, reading The New York Times, running, biking or doing yoga, spending time working on the house, enjoying as much quality time with my kids as they’ll give me, then an evening with family or friends.

What is your favorite Denver restaurant, and what do you always order?
The Kitchen. I live seven doors down from it and go all the time. I always order the burrata, the carrots and one of their perfect cocktails.

Your favorite getaway?
New York City. I went to college and business school there, and I’ve had a place there ever since. I’m not sure what exactly it is about the city, but I love being there – walking the streets, running along the river, eating in the restaurants and exploring.

Besides DUG, are you involved with any other causes or nonprofits
I’m on the board of Colorado Public Radio. I’m also proud to support Clinica Tepeyac, Firefly Autism, Rodale Institute, Highline Canal Conservancy, The Highline, Rail-to-Trail Conservancy and Urban Peak.

THE DETAILS

Age: 52
Children: Two teenagers
Job title: CEO, Denver Urban Gardens
Hometown: Denver
Education: BA in political science, Columbia University; MBA in finance and organizational management, New York University
Website: dug.org

Joanne Davidson starts each growing season with the best intentions. Sometimes she wins, sometimes she loses. But, like Lipsius, she gardens with a lot of spirit.