Vincent De Zaeytydt has been a Crew Leader with Howard EcoWorks for over a year providing landscaping services as part of the Uplift team. We are sad to announce that he will no longer be on our team, as his work visa expired so he must head back to France. He is looking to continue his journey of environmental stewardship.
Vincent grew up on the North-West coast of France, just five minutes from the North Atlantic ocean. How did he end up in Maryland working for a small non-profit? “I took every opportunity to travel,” which landed him in Minnesota studying Biology for his Bachelors of Science after receiving a student visa. He toured the midwest and then proceeded to California to trade his labor on a farm for accommodations. “It was really great, it was people that really cared about the land,” he says, discussing this experience and eagerness to learn in the position.
This eagerness and drive to help pushed him to apply for a job across the country. When he applied for a job with EcoWorks, he remembers being asked “you’re aware this is in Maryland, right?,” and laughing as he assured them he would be here and ready to work.
Ready to work he was, as he grew from crew member to crew leader in his year and a half on the team. He has assisted with key projects through our organization, like the installation of an environmental stewardship project at Symphony Woods, and feels proud of the work he has been able to do. During his time he was also able to assist with installing over 5,000 sq. ft. of conservation landscape and planted almost 1,000 trees in the community! Vincent speaks fondly of his time with us, that “contributing to doing something good” is reward enough for him.
A believer in contributing to the mission, when asked if he plans to come back or continue in this field of work elsewhere, he speaks about hoping he is able to return and continue the work that he loves. His favorite part of that work? Constructing rain gardens*.
“As a crew leader you get a little control over the final customization, it’s nice to see something I did [out in the world]”
We would like to thank Vincent De Zaeytydt for his time at EcoWorks. We are going to miss Vincent on our team and will feel his absence. But, we hope that his future endeavors are fruitful, and that he may come back to see us again when he is able!
* A rain garden is a garden that lies below the level of its surroundings, designed to absorb rainwater that runs off of a surface such as a patio or roof.