About Us

We provide sustainable landscape design|build services spanning a diversity of projects and sites in Northern Virginia. Our work merges ecology, art, and construction to create uniquely individual and thoughtful sustainable outdoor living spaces, while specializing in stormwater management and conservation landscaping with local native plants for a healthier Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Adele Kuo, Owner | Principal Landscape Designer

Adele is the founder of DecoFootprint. She serves on the CCLC Board of Directors, co-chairs the Development Committee, and is a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Level 1 & 2. She holds a BA from the University of Virginia and Masters degree in Sustainable Landscape Design from The George Washington University. After her gardening hobby became her livelihood, from 2011 until the 2020 COVID shutdown, Adele shared her passion for living a more sustainable lifestyle by researching, writing, and reporting “It’s Easy Being Green” featured on Arlington Weekly News.  You can view it on YouTube.

Jeff Elder, Landscape Designer

Jeff is a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Level 1 & 2. He is an Arlington County Master Naturalist and has lived next to Zachary Taylor Park for years. Gravitating to the Park’s flora and fauna because it was ‘‘more interesting’ than his own yard and fascinated by the erosion of the stream’s steep banks convinced him to become a Park Steward. Now on weekends, he often can be found leading or participating in invasive plant removal efforts and advocating for sensible stream resilience among other environmental causes across the region. Among other hobbies, he enjoys canoeing (and tries not to get distracted by all the invasives along the banks!) and skiing. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina and a Masters from Indiana University-Bloomington.