“I think [in] this century, the 21st century, the most inspiring element is the fragility of Earth.” –- Renzo Piano.
My name is Andrew Keys, and the land is in my blood. My work is informed by an interdisciplinary background in design and strategic planning, everyday skill and passion for all things green and growing. I started Oakleaf Green Landscape Design in 2009, with the philosophy that the crux of every 21st century design problem is our role as stewards of the Earth.
I was born in the bottomlands of Mississippi, a stone’s throw from New Orleans. Descended from dairymen, cotton and cane farmers, I spent childhood summers roaming barefoot through thickets of mountain laurel and star anise, swamp honeysuckle, and doghobble. From my family, I inherited a reverence for the land passed down through generations. From my studies, I learned of botany, biology, ecology, and conservation.
Most importantly, I learned to garden.
I set aside my green thumb for a period in college, earning a degree in journalism and public relations from The University of Memphis in 2001. Around that time I first traveled to New England and realized I had found my home. I moved to Boston, worked in public relations and then in non-profit as a graphic designer. While young in my career, I sought new ways to see the natural world both at home, through graduate studies in architecture and urban policy, and abroad, traveling everywhere from the Grand Canyon to the Great Barrier Reef.
In the end, I returned to my first loves: the environment and the garden.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey.
Vitae
Contributor :: Fine Gardening Magazine
Accredited Organic Landcare Professional ’09 :: Northeast Organic Farming Association
Graduate Certificate, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning ’05 :: Tufts University
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism and Public Relations ’01 :: The University of Memphis
In Process
Certificate in Native Plant Horticulture and Design :: New England Wildflower Society
Memberships and Affiliations
Essex County Greenbelt Assocation
New England Wildflower Society
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