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Marcello Meyer helps landscapers and homeowners create more sustainable yards.
Marcello Meyer is a longtime landscaper on Martha’s Vineyard, known for his work at Landscope, where he’s spent the last 16 years. During his time there, Marcello has often shared his expertise with colleagues and homeowners, offering informal lessons on the importance of native plantings, sustainable landscapes, and environmentally conscious lawn care. Now, he’s taking that work a step further with a newly created nonprofit dedicated to educating the community about the importance of protecting lawns and reducing the harmful effects of nitrogen and other chemicals on Island ponds and groundwater. Founded last summer, Marcello’s Deep Roots MV offers eco-friendly landscaping services, educational workshops, and low-carbon-emissions lawn mowing — all aimed at fostering a more sustainable approach to land care.
A software engineer by trade, Marcello arrived in the U.S. from Brazil 26 years ago. “When I came to the Vineyard, I fell in love,” Marcello says, reflecting on “this beautiful place” that inspired him to contribute more to sustainable landscape preservation. Carlos Montoya, founder of Native Plant Associates, became one of Marcello’s mentors. “He taught me how to do the identification, how to collect the seeds, how to propagate the seeds — what he does is old school, manual,” Marcello says. “No heavy machinery involved — very particular.”
That approach remains central to Marcello’s philosophy as a landscaper. He’s committed to educating people wherever and whenever he can about the importance of native plantings. “If you have the right native plants, then you attract beneficial insects, and then you attract birds, and then you attract snakes — it’s all connected,” Marcello says.
Deep Roots MV’s workshops (in both English and Portuguese) educate people about sustainable landscapes. In March, Marcello partnered with the Vineyard Conservation Society to offer a workshop about sustainable lawn care. He also recently collaborated with Polly Hill Arboretum on a series of lectures for the Brazilian landscaping community, and with the Vineyard Agriculture Society to do presentations for farmers. He also hosted workshops with the Slough Farm Foundation on sustainable landscaping, and he hopes to extend his efforts by offering workshops at the high school to reach younger audiences. Marcello also teamed up with the Boards of Health of Martha’s Vineyard to host a series of lectures on best practices for fertilizer and pesticide application, breaking down the rules and regulations. (Marcello reminds us that to apply pesticides to a property, one must be a state-licensed pesticide applicator, and it should only be done as a last resort, after soil testing or trying other natural methods. He has been a licensed pesticide applicator for 15 years.)
Through his workshops and networks, Marcello also helps his Portuguese- and English-speaking colleagues navigate regulations. “My goal is to have the landscapers use my organization as a resource,” he says. “I tell them, ‘If you change to a sustainable lawn, you spend less money on chemicals, synthetics, and you can use that money to increase the service you're giving to a client.’”
A common concern he hears from landscapers is that switching clients to sustainable lawns might mean they’ll lose business since these lawns are often considered “maintenance free.” That’s a misconception, Marcello says. “They require the same maintenance — even more maintenance, even more care, because you’re not using chemicals. You have to understand how the soil works, how to work with the soil and integrate that into your services.” He adds that he doesn’t view his organization as competition for landscapers. “I’m here to improve your work, the quality of your work, and also your quality of life. If you don’t apply pesticides, fungicides, synthetics, you’re going to live longer.”
A big part of Marcello’s mission is reaching homeowners. “If a homeowner has a question about how to change his lawn from synthetic, pesticide, fungicide, excess nitrogen application — I go to the property and evaluate what they have: The irrigation they have, how they water the lawn, how they water the plants and how often. And I help them understand how much water is needed to preserve water, how to minimize the use of chemicals, and how to use native plants.” He also provides free soil tests for homeowners, sending samples to labs and offering detailed reports on what actions to take.
Deep Roots MV is “almost like a family business,” Marcello says. His daughter designed the logo, and his wife has supported him from the start. The mission is rooted in the belief that “we’re all connected,” Marcello says. “From the homeowners to the farmer, we all live on this rock and we drink pretty much the same water. If everybody does what they’re supposed to do, to preserve the waterways, to preserve nature, we all have a better chance.”
To learn more about Deep Roots MV and its workshops and services, or to make a donation, visit deeprootsmv.org.
