PRFCT EVENTS
Landscape Therapy Workshop
See an invasive plant. Remove it. Plant a native!
At Perfect Earth Project‘s next Landscape Therapy Workshop with the Shelter Island Green and Water Advisory Committees, we will dive deep into invasive plants and weeds—how to remove them without toxic chemicals and how to prevent them from coming back. Andy Senesac of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Shelter Island homeowner George Huhn, and Perfect Earth Project’s Edwina von Gal share their wisdom.
Bring a friend—or 10! Invite your landscaper! Come with questions!
July 9, 2026
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Shelter Island Presbyterian Church
Fellowship Hall
32 N Ferry Road
Shelter Island, NY 11964
Tickets are free. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Space is limited.
Thank you to the Peconic Estuary Partnership for funding this event.
Grounded Conversations
What Remains: All the Ways to Gift Your Body to the Earth Naturally
Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion and discovery session about our place in nature—the questions you didn’t know who to ask.
What is a green burial?
Can my body be composted?
Why are these more sustainable ways a key to our ecological future?
PANEL DISCUSSION
Come hear experts Joseph Charap and Gabrielle R. Gatto, of Green-Wood Cemetery on human composting; Darren Crouch, president of the Green Burial Council on eco burial options; Amy Cunningham, death educator and funeral director; Faith Popcorn, futurist on planning ahead; and Edwina von Gal of Perfect Earth Project and meet the people who provide the newest, oldest, and always graceful ways to return your body to the Earth in the embrace of the peaceful and toxic-free LongHouse landscape.
DISCOVERY SESSION
Meet death doulas and representatives from Green-Wood Cemetery, Aeon Woods Conservation Cemetery, Departure Lounge, and Passages International, check out urns, watch a shrouding demonstration and body blessing, and more!
July 19, 2026
2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
LongHouse
133 Hands Creek Road
East Hampton, NY
Tickets $50
Space is limited.
SPEAKER BIOS
Darren Crouch is the president and co-founder of Passages International, which he founded in 1999 in the back of his family’s funeral home, and the president of the Green Burial Council. Over the past 25 years, Passages has grown tremendously by helping funeral homes better serve families seeking less traditional end-of-life options, including cremation, scattering, or more natural and personalized rituals. A thought leader in the funeral industry, Crouch has been published widely, quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and spoken at national and international conventions. He was a finalist for Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas and was recognized on the 2025 TIME100 Climate list. He is a Vistage member.
Amy Cunningham became a fully licensed funeral director and death educator in 2012 after a thirty-year career in magazine journalism with a focus of modernizing and greening up end-of-life decisions. She studied with noted home funeral midwives, and green burial advocates and launched a blog on modern funeral language, music, and urns and caskets called TheInspiredFuneral.com. When not directing funerals today, she teaches funeral planning and the greening of the funeral business at Green-Wood Cemetery and for the Integrative Thanatology Institute, spawned by the Art of Dying program at the NY Open Center.
Joseph Charap is the Vice President of Landscape at Green-Wood in Brooklyn, NY, where he leads the care and strategic development of its historic 478-acres. Overseeing all landscape operations—including arboriculture, meadow and turf management, monument restoration, and historic preservation—he integrates climate-adaptive strategies to enhance biodiversity and sustain Green-Wood’s living collection. Since joining Green-Wood in 2014, Charap has advanced resiliency initiatives, elevated the site’s profile as an arboretum, and positioned it as a leader in urban green space management.
Gabrielle R. Gatto is the Manager of Public Programs and a Death Educator at The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. As a death educator and doula, she has presented at New York City universities and institutions, across the United States, and virtually to cemeteries around the globe. She holds certificates of completion from the University of Vermont’s Grief & Bereavement Specialist Program and the Open Center’s Thanatology Program, which readied her to facilitate peer support groups. In 2023, she was named one of the 50 Most Fascinating People in Brooklyn by Brooklyn Magazine. You can hear her on NPR and on podcasts including the award-winning Finally! A Show.
Edwina von Gal is a leading voice in sustainable gardening and landscape design. She founded the Perfect Earth Project in 2013 to promote ecological land care. An award-winning designer, Edwina created landscapes with a focus on simplicity, sustainability, and beauty for clients around the world. Her work has been published widely, and her book Fresh Cuts won the Quill and Trowel award. She serves on the board of What Is Missing, Maya Lin’s multifaceted media artwork about the loss of biodiversity, Longue Vue’s National Council, and is a member of the Native Plant Trust’s Council.
Landscape Therapy Workshop
Join us! Learn how to make your yard beautiful and safe for all living things and gather with your neighbors to share successes and challenges.
July 23, 2026
5:30 p.m.
North Haven Village Hall
335 Ferry Road
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Tickets are free. Pre-registration is encouraged but walk-ins are welcome.
Thank you to the Peconic Estuary Partnership for funding this event.
Landscape Therapy Workshop
Perfect Earth Project and ARF present a Landscape Therapy Workshop to explore the many ways you can make your yard as animal and pet friendly—and beautiful as possible.
July 29, 2026
5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Animal Rescue Fund
(ARF) in East Hampton
124 Daniels Hole Road
East Hampton, NY 11937
Tickets are free. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Space is limited.
Thank you to the Peconic Estuary Partnership for funding this event.
Grounded Conversations
And stay tuned for a Grounded Conversation that’s All About Ticks later this summer.
Landscape Therapy Workshop
Save the Date! Perfect Earth Project and Treiber Farms present a Landscape Therapy Workshop. Meet up with experts and neighbors to learn how to nurture a healthy and safe yard.
September 12, 2026
Treiber Farms
38320 County Rd 48
Peconic, NY
Tickets are free. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Space is limited. More information coming soon.
Thank you to the Peconic Estuary Partnership for funding this event.
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Edwina is working on a book! If you’d like to invite her to speak when it is published, please send a note to michele@perfectearthproject.org. If you’re interested in another person from the PRFCT team speak at your event, fill out our Speaker Request Form HERE.
Testimonials
We are profoundly grateful to Edwina Von Gal for sharing her invaluable insights on nature-based landscaping practices with our community. Her expertise in harmonizing with Mother Nature to create landscapes that are not only visually stunning, but also promote the health of our families, pets, and vital ecosystems is truly inspiring. Thank you, Edwina, for taking the time to guide us toward nurturing more vibrant and sustainable environments.
~ Eileen Mullen, The Lion Head Beach Association
[Edwina’s] presentation was inspirational, entertaining & filled with a joyous sense of freedom – all while imparting such important information & a new way of looking at landscapes & plantings. I am so interested in getting as many of our residents as possible to understand a new perception of beauty.
~ Jean Thatcher, Three Harbors Garden Club
We received wonderful, positive feedback from so many of the attendees who said that they felt informed and empowered to make changes in their home landscape practice towards a more ‘magical’ and sustainable model.
~Lisa de Guzman, Three Harbors Garden Club
My husband and I are totally inspired! And the feedback today says…so are the 175 + guests listening last night.
~ Laura Blumin, Three Harbors Garden Club