Our Story & Mission Statement
When choosing a landscape firm, there is great value in knowing who they are, and more importantly, why they do what they do.
In 2013, I found myself thinking more and more about supporting myself by doing something I enjoyed, as opposed to something that I was trained to do. Something that gave a sense of fulfillment that comes from answering to a deeper responsibility. Around that same time, California was faced with perhaps one of its deepest impacting droughts on record. Conditions had been elevated from moderate to severe. In response, Governor Brown mandated statewide restrictions on our state's water use. Homeowners were encouraged to let their lawns 'go gold' or essentially die off. Beautiful neighborhoods were becoming ugly. Property values were dropping. Those who chose to try and maintain their green grass lawns using less water were met with quickly rising water bills; the result of water districts compensating for decreased water use. The prospect of having a nicely manicured grass lawn was quickly losing its appeal. So what was the solution? What were homeowners to do?.
I began to research, not only the immediate responses one could choose, but also the role that our valley's ecology played in the bigger picture that makes up California's complex ecological system. I quickly learned that the solution to our problem was not as simple as choosing grasses that use less water, or replacing lawns with bark or mulch, because the drought wasn't the only part of our problem. The situation we face here in the Valley is a lot more dire and complicated. Some of you may have already be familiar with what I'm going to talk about next, but many have not.
Everyone who lives here should already know California's climate and environment made it the 8th largest agricultural economy in the world. In order for plants to be healthy and fruitful, they need nutrient-rich soil, plenty of water, and lots of sun. At least that's what everybody thinks. There is however, one very crucial ingredient that is often overlooked or forgotten... pollinators.
Bees, Birds, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, ladybugs and many other beneficial insects are perhaps the hardest-working citizens of our state. They are responsible for pollinating more than 10 TRILLION blooms every year, which in turn allows our plants and trees to produce the fruits, vegetables, and seeds that we consume and export globally. Sadly, the population of this critical part of our ecology has dwindled drastically. In fact, some reports suggest the national honey bee population alone has declined in the last 30 years by as much as 70%! To make up for this deficit, scientists have engineered ways to make plants more productive by creating artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. (which in themselves pose many dangers and risks to us and our environment) They kill off or repel many pollinators, pollute our streams and rivers, and destroy the fragile ecosystems in our oceans. Due to the heavy use of chemicals and fertilizers in China, there are virtually no bees left to pollinate their orchards. Farms are forced to hire laborers to physically climb the trees to pollinate the blooms.
It was after a year of research and brainstorming that the idea behind Eco-Active Systems was conceived and born. I wanted to proactively participate in the reparation of our Valley. The solution was simple: Replace our grass Lawns with California's more than 5,000 native species of plants, shrubs, and trees to invite and attract these valuable pollinators back into our neighborhoods, increasing their population. Why? Grass lawns don't produce flowers or fruits and contribute nothing (like oxygen) to the ecosystem. We're constantly applying toxic fertilizers and pesticides to them, spending countless hours and money mowing and edging them, and wasting trillions of gallons of watering them. Instead, we could transform each yard into a micro system that actually contributes to our environment. Imagine how beautiful your neighborhood would be if everyone's yard looked natural and colorful instead of flat with one color!
This is my vision, and I started Eco-Active Systems to accomplish this vision, one yard at a time. Our designs take into account your microclimate, the size of your yard, the architecture of your home, and the shape of your property, as well as the direction it faces. These designs result in virtually maintenance-free landscapes that drastically reduce water usage (and your water bill) by as much as 92% over typical lawn watering, while providing you with a gorgeous topography of edible or medicinal plants, year-round flowers, and a healthy habitat for our region's indigenous wildlife. Your yard wouldn't even require mowing so you can relax and enjoy your yard on the weekends instead of working on the weekends.
As it turns out, Nature already had everything figured out long before we settled in this state. The best thing we can do as stewards of this truly magnificent Valley is to imitate nature's example. That's the reason why we are called Eco-Active Systems. We construct actual living, functioning and ecologically active systems.
So... we're doing our part, how about joining us?
