The Ground Up

What if our landscapes could think—not in the way machines think, but in the way ecosystems remember, adapt, and respond?In this episode of The Ground Up Podcast, Tim Sallin sits down with Lance Legel, founder of Ecodash and DeepEarth, to explore a bold and emerging frontier: ecological intelligence and the role of digital twins in reshaping how we design, manage, and steward land.Lance shares his journey at the intersection of software engineering, spatial systems, and ecology, and lays out a vision for digital tools that don’t dominate nature, but listen to it. Together, Tim and Lance explore how ecological data, spatial modeling, and AI could help reveal hidden patterns in soils, plants, water, and climate—while also grappling honestly with the technical, ethical, and operational challenges of turning vision into reality.The conversation moves fluidly between big-picture systems thinking and practical questions: What does it mean to model living systems responsibly? Where do today’s tools fall short? How do we avoid technological overreach while still embracing innovation? And what role should human judgment, humility, and place-based knowledge play alongside algorithms?This episode will resonate with anyone curious about the future of land stewardship, the promise and limits of technology, and how we might build tools that align more deeply with life—starting from the ground up.

In this episode of The Ground Up Podcast, I sit down with Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks for a wide-ranging conversation on local leadership, land conservation, and the future of Florida’s landscapes.We explore the overwhelming success of the Lake Forever referendum, which passed with 80% voter approval to fund land conservation in Lake County, and discuss planning tools like Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs), and the proposed Wellness Way Landscape Ordinance under consideration right now. Sean and I had originally recorded this live at the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation's Corridor Connect Summit. Sadly technical issues made publishing it impossible. I am grateful to Sean Parks for agreeing to reshoot at Cherrylake. I hope you enjoy this episode! Please leave me some feedback in the comments. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube https://linktr.ee/thegrounduppodcast

Greg Noonan is a landscape designer, educator, and systems thinker helping redefine the future of Florida’s communities. As Enhancements Manager at Cherrylake and founder of Connected Landscapes, Greg works at the intersection of ecological design, builder collaboration, and resident education. He leads the implementation of sustainable landscape practices at Sunbridge, a master-planned community that’s pioneering a new standard in residential development.In this episode, we dive deep into Greg’s personal journey—from installing edible gardens and founding a sustainable landscape firm to becoming a key driver of the OUTSIDE Collab model for transforming Florida landscapes. We discuss the challenges and breakthroughs of designing with native plants, creating year-round curb appeal, and helping builders meet sustainability standards without compromising aesthetics or budgets.

David Miller is director of applied agronomy at Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). AEA believes agriculture can be a force for good for both the environment and those who rely on it for their livelihoods. They are devoted to a scalable, whole-systems approach to revitalizing soil and plant health while generating economic returns for farmers. This includes agronomic consulting, effective biological and nutritional products, and cutting-edge plant nutrition technology and analysis. David is one of AEA’s most expert agronomists and crop advisors. He currently designs and implements controlled field trials and leads the education of new agronomist hires, which is a rigorous process to give them the necessary skills to help farmers succeed. In this episode we discuss his work with IMG Citrus to address the challenges of citrus greening through regenerative practices as well as the work AEA is doing to advance regenerative farming practices at scale across the globe.

Dr. Patrick Bohlen is an ecologist and a professor of Biology at the University of Central Florida. Patrick has an extensive research and teaching background in ecosystem ecology, agroecology., urban ecology and wetland ecology. As director of Landscape and Natural Resources, and the Arboretum at UCF, Patrick oversaw landscape design and operations, natural lands management and student and public engagement programs. Patrick is a founding member of the OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscaping Collaborative, a non-profit dedicated to increasing the adoption of sustainable landscape practices in Florida. He was recently named the new director of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, in Madison, WI.

Soil Ecosystem Specialist Mark Singleton, and Chief Technical Officer, Darren Midlane of LifeSoils work to introduce composting as a mainstream practice in Florida landscaping.

In this episode of The Ground Up podcast, Tim chats with biologist, naturalist, and Florida native nursery man, Brightman Logan. We speak on groundcover restoration, site prepping, creating a Florida native plant foundation, and starting a Florida native seed project.

Dr. Pierce Jones revolutionizes sustainable landscaping in Florida through integrated practices like perennial peanut farming, effectively trailblazing new ways to conserve our natural resources. He is a professor at the University of Florida and a Director for the Program for Resource Efficient Communities, where he has been working for the past 30 years to promote the adoption of sustainable landscaping practices in Florida, working with large-scale private developers, research institutions, and state agencies.