ACTIVE OUTDOORS LLC
About
Greg Torres
Personal Bio
I learned so many aspects of the forest from my father at such an early age. He showed me the various ways that I could use plants to fulfill almost desire I had. If I were hungry, he’d show me plants at hand that would nourish. If I wanted rope to do some childish thing with, he’d show me which tree’s bark could be stripped to make cordage. He showed me how to manage plants at their various stages so that I could put back what I was taking. He showed me how to use plants as art through landscaping. He showed me respect for the land and the life that uses it and most importantly for my purpose, how to use plants to build the land and bolster the life around us.
Professional Bio
Greg Torres is a certified Naturalist and Interpretive Guide. In 2017, he managed Cincinnati's Hauck Botanical Garden and updated their educational program. Greg was then recruited in 2021 to help launch the flagship Conservation and Land Management Division within Cincinnati Parks. Greg and his team's work have contributed to two Ohio Parks and Recreation Awards for Conservation and Land Management and Interpretive Programming. In 2023, Greg was chosen to receive the Johnny Appleseed Award at the Taking Root Initiative's annual Tree Summit. Known as “the Plant Guru,"he is a co-host on the Nature Guys podcast.
Greg lives in Cincinnati, OH, with his partner, son, and two dogs. He strongly believes that humans are stewards of the land and acts on this belief everyday.
Vision
Active Outdoors seeks to blaze a new path in our relationship with plants so that we can give as much or more than what we take from our natural world. A path that can benefit humanity in a more comprehensive way as well as providing for other life on Earth. By treating plants as more than a simple means to an end, such as food or ornamentation, Active Outdoors strives to understand plants; that is, their histories, biologies, abilities, and relationships. This deeper understanding of plants, we believe, will set forth a mode of plant use that will go beyond the ends of traditional horticulture.