TUESDAY, JANUARY 19
1:30 - 2:30 PM

Expanding Services with Nature-Based Solutions  

Consumers are increasingly seeking beautiful, functional landscapes that manage water, support biodiversity, and build climate resilience. Nature-based solutions offer an important opportunity for the landscape industry.

Landscape professionals can respond by expanding their offerings to include green infrastructure projects, healthy soil practices, and ecological landscape management.

Using real-world examples, we will explore how these services can create new business opportunities while delivering beautiful, more functional landscapes.

What participants will learn:

• Recognize growing consumer demand for nature-based services.

• Identify new services and revenue opportunities.

• Learn how to position these services to stand out in a changing marketplace.

AOLCP,  APLD

Marie Chieppo is a regenerative landscape designer, educator, and sustainability advocate with 31 years of experience in the landscape industry. As co-founder of CFS Regenerative Design Studios, LLC, her work focuses on creating and teaching approaches to beautiful, functional, and ecologically healthy landscapes.

A Fellow of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (FAPLD) and holder of a Master of Public Health (MPH), Marie brings together professional landscape design, public health, and ecological land care. 

She is co-author of Guidelines for Cape-Friendly Landscapes for Cleaner Water, Healthier Yards and Our Local Ecology. She teaches for Native Plant Trust, Grow Native Massachusetts, and the Conway School of Landscape Design, and is a frequent national speaker on regenerative design, sustainability, and broader environmental issues.

Marie serves on the board of the Ecological Landscape Alliance and the Horticultural Research Institute’s Plastic Task Force. Her advocacy focuses on advancing sustainable industry practices and policies, particularly closed-loop systems and solutions to plastic plant container waste.

Trevor Smith is the co-founder of CFS Regenerative Design Studios and creator of USSI Terra soil amendments. With 31 years of experience in the landscape industry, he is an award-winning regenerative landscape designer who holds several professional landscape certifications and is a past President and current Trustee of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. His work specializes in green infrastructure, native plant design, habitat creation, and the application of ecological design principles. Deeply passionate about the natural world, Trevor is committed to advancing sustainable landscape practices and creating beautiful, resilient landscapes in an era of climate change.