Matt Gravel, Design Lead at SymbiOp
Matt's career started in conventional landscaping on Vancouver Island , Canada doing lawn and garden care, he soon grew tired of the toxic land management practices and work culture. As a member of the Metis Nation , it became more and more important for him to reconnect with indigenous landcare practices and restore his relationship with the land. He has studied with indigenous elders from Belize to the West Coast of "Canada" and his work and passions have found him on many different continents exploring different regenerative landcare sites. This lead to Matt starting an ecological landscaping and nursery business in Victoria,BC that was featured in local publications and nominated for local green business awards. In 2019 Matt sold his business and left the idylic shores of Vancouver Island to start a new in Portland with his Husband, he joined forces with the team at SymbIOp as a design team lead shortly after his move and has since become a Worker-Owning member of the Co-Op helping launch the their new Ecological Garden Shop and continues to design and Installing regenerative landscapes all over the Portland metro region , Canada and beyond.. In his downtime you can find Matt tending to his urban homestead in SE Portland, propagating unique and rare edible species of plants, exploring the nooks and crannies of new neighborhoods and cities by bike, enjoying a good meal with friends and getting lost in the woods with his dogs and husband.
SymbiOp ... Ecological Garden Shop & Landscaping Services
We are a worker-owned cooperative. Our team has decades of experience. We aim to be a one-stop shop for all your ecological gardening, homesteading, and landscaping needs, for residential, commercial, and public land. Our slogan is “For People and Planet“, which reflects our triple-bottom-line mission. This means we strive to create social and ecological benefits as much as (or more than) financial benefit. Click here to learn more about us.
Largest Ecological Gift Shop & Native Plant Nursery in Portland OR!
We use regenerative ecological practice as much as possible for both our garden shop and landscaping businesses. Click here to learn what that means, and why it’s better than sustainable or organic practice.
