Mission
At the Earth Force Institute, we believe that as the world’s natural resources and ecosystems face increasing decline, it is our responsibility to redefine how landscapes are conceived and constructed. Our mission is to promote and implement the design of public, institutional, and residential spaces as fully functional biological ecosystems—living systems that restore ecological balance, support biodiversity, and ensure environmental resilience for generations to come.
Through research, education, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, Earth Force Institute advocates for science-based practices that restore soil biology, support native ecologies, and eliminate dependence on synthetic inputs. We bring together landscape professionals, scientists, educators, and policy makers to reimagine what’s possible when land is managed in harmony with nature.
Our ultimate goal is to create a future where healthy landscapes are not the exception, but the standard—vital, self-sustaining systems that contribute to the health of our communities, our environment, and our shared wellbeing.
Eric T. Fleisher was a leading pioneer in the field of sustainable and organic landscape care. He was known for being the first director of horticulture for the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) and for working with institutions such as Harvard and Princeton University on their organic landscape management programs. He also consulted on numerous high-end projects such as the Rose Fitzgerald Greenway, MOMA, and Brooklyn Bridge Park through his work with F2 Environmental Design. Earth Force Institute was a dream of T’s before he passed away. The vision is being carried forward by his partner in F2 Environmental Design and in life, Andrea Filippone. Please consider helping us continue this mission of healthy landscapes.
Donate
Donate what is comfortable, every dollar counts.
Donations to Earth Force Institute will help us launch the first Eric T. Fleisher Lecture/Workshop Series. Bringing together experts in different fields to share the knowledge from a variety of silos in Organic and Sustainable Land management. This was a dream of T’s. Help us make it a reality.
Earth Force Institute Inc is a 501c3 nonprofit. All donations are tax deductible.
Lecture 1
Designing with Nature
Landscapes as Living Systems
Presented by the Earth Force Institute
In the face of accelerating climate change and the depletion of the world’s natural resources, it is no longer enough for designed landscapes to be beautiful—they must be biologically functional. This opening lecture sets the foundation for Earth Force Institute’s workshop series by challenging conventional approaches to landscape architecture, urban planning, and horticulture.
Rooted in the pioneering ecological work of Eric T. Fleisher, this session explores the imperative to design all landscapes—whether public, institutional, or residential—as regenerative ecosystems. Through the lens of soil health, biodiversity, and closed-loop sustainability, we’ll examine case studies that demonstrate how landscapes can restore local ecologies, filter water, sequester carbon, and support pollinator networks—without relying on synthetic inputs.
Participants will leave this session with a deeper understanding of why working with nature, not against it, is essential to the future of landscape design—and how to begin applying these principles in their own work.