Mostly Native, Never Invasive! 

As a rule, a minimum of 70% of the plants in Redlands designs will be native. We strive for closer to 100% natives and especially like to use hyper local species. Why? Consider these 12 reasons from the Theodore Payne Foundation. Hyper local species are especially genetically adapted to our region making them most effective at restoring habitat. Native plants also help increase the productivity of edible gardens by more effectively attracting pollinators. Though there are several popular low water non-native plants that are pretty, we will never use plants that are known to be invasive and will strongly advocate the removal of them on any property we work on.

Reduce & Reuse

Every design starts from a foundation of increasing native plant habitat and maximizing watershed while trying to limit the amount of material that needs to be taken to the landfill. This looks like trying to keep as much native soil on site, keeping non-invasive established/healthy trees/plants and/or reincorporating green waste into the site in the form of mulch, hugelkulturs or compost. This might also look like reusing or recycling all possible green material and hardscaping material, or making a concerted effort to resell or give away that material.

Stewardship over Ownership

Indigenous Californians are the original stewards of our state and should be placed at the center of our collective efforts to address environmental restoration. Traditional Ecological Knowledge is ancient, sacred and evolving. It is also emerging as a cornerstone of the modern environmental movement as we make conscious efforts to repair the generation damage wrought by white supremacy and settler colonialism. Many of us are coming home to the deep knowledge that we are not apart from nature, but a part of it. The shift from ownership mentality to stewardship is  joyful and optimistic. Those of us who have the disproportionate privilege to own a piece of land in LA can create a slice of natural habitat that is design forward and connects us deeper to our place geographically, historically and spiritually. We cannot ‘own’ the land forever, but merely live on it for a relatively brief time, let us strive to leave it better than we found it. Let us rebuild habitat (human & animal) and create carbon sinks one yard at a time in the vast urbanscape of LA.

IF YOU ARE A RENTER: Designs and consultations are available for low cost soil enhancements and patio/pot gardens at a discounted price. 

Transparency and Learning

Once we agree to work together, Radlands observes a rigorous protocol to uphold our integrity and fairness in pricing and practice. This includes fair term agreements, providing budget proposals and tracking documents, as well as maintaining open lines of communication throughout the project.

At Radlands, we are humbly committed to learning in praxis. Landscapes, literal and figurative, are evolving and our approach will necessarily change as well. Our commitment to learning is based on making connections with colleagues, seeking and sharing knowledge and rejecting scarcity consciousness. We seek communion with the land and our community and welcome lessons in how to improve and amplify our positive impact.

Social and Environmental Justice

Radlands is commited to social and environmental justice and profit sharing is integrated into every revenue stream. 10% of all principal profits are shared with BIPOC organizations and individuals that are building land trusts, offering plant education, building urban farms, combating medical racism and teaching traditional and evolving Indigenous knowledge by and for their communities.

No profits are taken out of the head of crew or crew members' wages. Our head of crew, Pablo Martinez, sets his own prices based on his decades of experience and expertise. Radlands negotiates on Pablo’s behalf and does not entertain low ball offers. Radlands principle, Lake Sharp, provides sliding scale garden consultations for low income individuals and non-profit organizations on a case-by-case basis. You can find a working list of organizations/Individual that Radlands supports on our PROFIT REDISTRIBUTION page.

Land Acknowledgement

 At Radlands, we are aware that land acknowledgments can feel like empty platitudes or virtue signaling. While this gesture is imperfect, if feels important for now to include one here paired with our ongoing commitment of financial support to Rematriation, Land Back and other Indigenous led movements. Our land acknowledgement is minimally adapted from the LA County land acknowledgement that was created in collaboration with tribal leaders.

Radlands recognizes that we occupy land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash Peoples. We honor and pay respect to their elders and descendants — past, present, and emerging — as they continue their stewardship of these lands and waters. We acknowledge that settler colonization resulted in land seizure, disease, subjugation, slavery, relocation, broken promises, genocide, and multigenerational trauma. This acknowledgment demonstrates our responsibility and commitment to truth, healing, and reconciliation and to elevating the stories, culture, and community of the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County. We are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these ancestral lands.