Education and Public Speaking

Education and Public Speaking

Richard brings a powerful and unique voice to the stage, rooted in years of practical experience transitioning a company from conventional to regenerative land care, as well as in his collaborations with municipalities, landscape companies, and institutions. Whether addressing professionals, garden clubs, or institutional audiences, his talks are both informative and energizing, offering practical insights on soil health indicators and sustainable water management delivered with passion and humor. With decades of public speaking experience, Richard doesn’t just discuss theory; he shares real stories from the field, empowering others with knowledge about native plants and pollinators, soil, green infrastructure, and low-impact battery-powered equipment gained through hard work and dedication.

Professional Speaking Experience

Richard has established himself as a leading voice in sustainable landscaping across the Northeast. His expertise in native ecosystem restoration in residential landscapes has been showcased at prestigious venues, including the Temple University Ambler Arboretum Speaker Series, and he remains a current member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance Speakers Bureau. Other notable, recent speaking engagements include the 2024 Cape Cod Landscape Association Green Education & Exposition, the 2024 Eastern Native Grassland Symposium in Philadelphia, and the 2025 NJASLA Annual Meeting Conference in Atlantic City.

Richard regularly presents at the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association (NJNLA) Total Pro Expo (2021-2025), New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association’s trade events, and completed a recurring role with the Rutgers Organic Land Care Program Certificate Course (2013-2020) when the program went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His continuing education sessions focus on native plants, drought-tolerant plant lists, lawn alternatives, and low-impact battery-powered equipment, sharing real-world implementation strategies for no-till gardening methods and rainwater collection systems.

Community Education and Outreach

Richard’s commitment to ecological education extends beyond industry conferences to numerous garden clubs throughout the region, making sustainable practices like composting setup and forest gardening accessible to homeowners and community groups. His consulting work has helped large commercial property management groups expand their inclusion of native plants while improving their RFP specifications for beneficial insect attractors and proper planting specifications.

Properties designed and maintained by Richard and his company have served as living showcases of soil carbon sequestration and holistic management planning, featured in the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association (NJNLA), Jersey Access Group (JAG) Award-winning show Growing Green, Garden Club of America Tour 2010, numerous Environmental Commission’s Green Home and Garden Tours, and other annual sustainability events. In Fall 2013, McCoy Horticultural welcomed The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for a special garden tour to a Princeton garden recognized by the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Gardens.

Properties designed and maintained by Richard and his company have served as living showcases of soil carbon sequestration and holistic management planning, featured in the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association (NJNLA), Jersey Access Group (JAG) Award-winning show Growing Green, Garden Club of America Tour 2010, numerous Environmental Commission’s Green Home and Garden Tours, and other annual sustainability events. In Fall 2013, McCoy Horticultural welcomed The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for a special garden tour to a Princeton garden recognized by the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Gardens.

Through his ongoing advocacy, Richard continues to shape the future of sustainable landscape practices while championing the vital role Regenerative Land Care plays in building resilient landscapes and healthier communities through ecosystem health and habitat connectivity.

       

Where We’ve Been Featured

Currently Offered Presentation Titles & Descriptions

All presentations may be tailored to any audience, whether industry professional, municipality, HOA or homeowners, unless otherwise specified.

  • Building Ecology in a Residential Landscape with Native Plants​ (60 min and 15 – 30 min Q&A)

    • – Presentation Description The misconceptions of the uses of and for native plants are numerous. To dispel misconceptions on native plants, we must first understand why we utilize native plants in our landscapes and why we must remove problematic invasive species. That reason is ecology. Ecology that begins with the soil under foot to insects that inhabit the very tops of the tree canopy and every living organism in-between these vast spaces.

    • – Discussion points:
      – What are invasive plant species and why are they problematic?
      – Are native plants really so important?
      – What and how to define a native plant?
      – Native substitutions / replacements for invasive species
      – Nothing else matters if you do not plant properly!

  • Proper Planting Practices​: Are We Landscaping in a Deficit Model? (45 min and 15 min Q&A)

    • – Presentation Description: In the Nursery and Landscape Industry, there is an overabundance of clouded misinformation passed down to the general public. From every direction, this inaccurate or antiquated information flows. There are visual examples that exist everywhere of managed, subpar landscapes from Big Box stores and local Mom and Pop nurseries to examples on the internet.

      With a significant difference in quality between companies that offer best practices and a plethora of companies that provide subpar services, what are unsuspecting consumers to expect from their landscape architect, designer, or contractor?

    • – Participants of “Proper Planting Practices” Are We Landscaping in a Deficit Model? will obtain information on the current techniques of proper planting. This information can be taken back to the home landscape or passed on to the landscape professional for immediate implementation.

    • – This presentation is suitable for industry professionals and non-industry participants alike and includes hands-on demonstrations.
        – Discussion points:
        – Are We Landscaping in a Deficit Model?
        – The Root (collar) of the problem
        – Right Plant – Right Place
        – Proper Planting B&B and Container plants
        – Value vs. Cheap – You get what you pay for

  • From Tree Nursery to Tree Installation – Plants, Planting and Plant Care​: The Do’s, The Don’ts and The What Were They Thinking? (45 min and 15 min Q&A)

    • MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON

  • An Introduction to Organic Land Care​ (currently the most requested as it covers all aspects of OLC) (60 min and 15 – 30 min Q&A)

    • – Presentation Description:​ As the title states, this is an introduction, a broad view of a multi-layered systems approach to land care where all living things are considered. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to utilize organic/ecological landscape design and maintenance strategies and how to apply these strategies in their homes and businesses.

    • – Discussion points:
         – What is Organic Land Care (OLC)
         – The history of OLC
         – The Rutgers OLC Best Management Practices Manual
         – Practical applications of (OLC)
         – Solutions to problematic landscape areas
         – Organic Turf and Landscape maintenance systems
         – Organic vs. Synthetic Pesticides
         – Earth and the Anthropocene

  • Incorporation of native plants in the landscape and lawn alternatives​ (2hrs plus Q&A)

    • MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON

  • Ecological strategies to manage pests and pathogens in the landscape​ (45 min and 15 min Q&A)

    • – Presentation Description: ​Participants of ecological strategies to manage pests and pathogens in the landscape will learn how to view the landscape as a whole living system. As well as, how best cultural practices and appropriate native plants in the landscape will eliminate the need for synthetic chemicals to suppress pests and pathogens in the managed landscape.

    • – Discussion points:
         – Framework for ecological organic land care
         – View the managed landscape as a whole living system
         – Poor cultural practices = pathogens
         – Pollinators, parasitoids, pests and plants
         – Last resort applications (Rescue treatments)

    PRO ONLY – MORE INFORMAITON COMING SOON

  • Organic Turf in Practice​: An Organic Lawn Care Primer (45 min and 15 min Q&A)

    HOMEOWNER ONLY

    MORE INFORMAITON COMING SOON

  • How do you know if your organic lawn care provider is really organic?​ (45 min and 15 min Q&A)

    Discussion points:

    • – Compare and define different types of turf care ​
         – Traditional lawn program
         – Bridge lawn program
         – Regenerative turf systems
         – Organic turf systems

    • – Red flags to recognize
         – Terms to understand
         – Rights as consumer
         – Who can you trust? Ask these questions….

    • – Ecological and organic land care
         – Take your lawn and property to another level
         – Importance of native plants
         – Reduce your lawn areas that are problematic or where lawns are not necessary.<

    • – Homegrown National Park

Services We Offer

  • On-site Consultations and Seminars for Homeowner Associations, Commercial Proprieties and Property Management Companies, and Municipalities

  • Expert Advice on Plant Material, Placement, Techniques, etc. for Do-It-Yourselfers

  • Detailed Presentations for Green Industry Pros, Homeowner Associations, Garden Clubs, and More


Phone

1-866-622-6995

Address

420 Rt 31
Ringoes New Jersey 08551

Contact Us