Who we are

  • Since its founding in 1992, the Ecological Landscape Alliance has been a leader in promoting sustainable approaches to landscape design, construction, and management. ELA’s commitment to innovative ideas and evidence-based practices has made the organization both a trusted resource and a vibrant community of landscape professionals and devoted gardeners.

  • HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK® is a grassroots call to action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks.

  • The NYC M/WBE program is designed to promote City government contracting and subcontracting opportunities for businesses certified as minority and women-owned with a real and substantial presence in New York City and surrounding counties.

  • U.S. Green Building Council members are driving the entire green building community forward and they represent the best organizations from all fields.

We work with homeowners, co-ops, community boards, non-profits, public parks, city agencies and everyone in between!

We specialize in native perennial gardens and landscapes that build climate resilience while offering clients a beautiful space for rest and respite.

As professional stewards of the environment, it is our responsibility to transform landscapes into thriving ecosystems that inspire and sustain. Rooted in principles of ecological integrity, our commitment to sustainable practices and our integrative process extend our work beyond beautification. We cultivate resilient and regenerative outdoor spaces with intentional operations that reduce waste and center longevity.

We strive to be leaders in the landscaping industry, making a positive impact on the communities we serve and the world we share.

Our work is an investment in the expansion and improvement of viable green infrastructure.

We have a growing portfolio of innovative ecosystems in commercial, residential and public settings. Through the design and feedback process, we hone green infrastructure intelligence to solve individual and community scale problems such as stormwater management, steady ambient building and outdoor temperatures, and increased local biodiversity.

It is important to us that, while solving practical problems, we co-create elegant and generative sanctuaries for humans too.

Our vision is that one day professional horticulturalists and land stewards will manage and maintain our critical green infrastructure across our city.

Ensuring that biodiversity, soil structure, carbon capture and plant health are prioritized as critical KPIs for our Green Infrastructure investments. In this way, our highly designed Green Infrastructure will actually fulfill its intended role. We have the knowledge to leverage biodiverse corridors as temperature stabilizers, rainwater absorption and retention zones and to ensure our soils withstand drought while retaining a healthy microbiome.

Worker-Owners

Worker cooperatives are values-driven businesses that put worker and community benefit at the core of their purpose. In contrast to traditional companies, worker members at worker cooperatives participate in the profits, oversight, and often management of the enterprise using democratic practices.

  • Founding Principal

    Rosemarie is a green infrastructure professional with more than 14 years of hands-on experience in nature based solutions to climate change. As an artistic praxis, she works with nature to create living murals, as well as functional ecosystems, designing with spirits of place and for the generations to come. Her designs focus on blending the boundaries between human and non-human communities.

    Drawing on her history as a community organizer, Rosemarie works tirelessly to build environmental and social resilience by facilitating ecological intimacy and fostering ecological literacy. In 2012, she served as AmeriCorps, working in community gardens across the five boroughs and worked on several facets of the Million TreesNYC Initiative.

    As the founder of Our Temenos she aims to revolutionize an industry while building a broader culture of respect and reciprocity with the land.

    Rosemarie enjoys dancing, playing with mud, cooking from nose to tail and a good book. She is known to burst into spontaneous bouts of song.

    • B.S. in Ecology

    • WEDG certified

    • LEED AP in Neighborhood Development

    • NYCEDC Waterfront Pathways Fellow

    Rosemarie serves on the board of MetroHort and Artemis Ecology & Arts Initiative.


  • Operations Lead

    Erika brings her innate sense of balanced aesthetics and a dedication to operational excellence. With more than a decade of hospitality and fine dining experience, she has garnered a skillful attention to detail and logistics.

    Erika began her work in landscaping with a drive to create and maintain bio-diverse outdoor spaces that encourage sustainable living practices.  

    Erika loves nurturing community in and around urban green spaces that are in harmony with native ecosystems while exploring accessible opportunities for rejuvenation and conservation.

    • OSHA 30

    • SHRM-CP

    Erika serves on the board of Artemis Ecology & Arts Initiative.

An egalitarian business model aims to eliminate the race and class disparities in the industry.

Our democratic business model centers care for the planet, our clients and one another. As land stewards we recognize that every team member is a valuable part of the whole and an integral part of our larger community, to which we are deeply rooted. In addition to opportunities for growth, education and advancement, we offer a living wage that accounts for the wear and tear of physical labor on the human body and the unique demands of our industry. Members of our staff bring with them diverse educational and professional experiences as well as certifications in relevant specialties.

We proudly boast the only paid internship in the field of horticulture that is a partnership between a non-profit and private institution. Our internship is a hands-on opportunity for NYC youth interested in professional level careers in green infrastructure. We proudly hire from this program and from the alumni network of other workforce development programs. It is our honor to share the love of our craft with the next generation and grow alongside the next generation of land stewards.

Join Our Crew!

Job Descriptions & Application Form