Meet Brandy Hall | Founder and CEO of Shades of Green Permaculture

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandy Hall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandy, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
The construction and landscape business is male-dominated and tends to focus on conventional and harmful practices. I grew up between my mom and step dad’s conventional plant nursery in Florida and my dad’s home in the pristine western North Carolina mountains. When I was young, my mom and step dad were poisoned by the herbicides and pesticides they used on the farm, which led to escalating allergic reactions for years to come. They moved the whole family to the middle of the woods in Columbia County, Florida to begin a 7-year detox when I was in middle school.

These experiences led to a lifelong desire to create harmony between the human built environment and the natural world in the face of an industry that prioritizes conventional landscaping practices over environmental health. It was difficult to penetrate a male-dominated industry as a 21-year-old woman, but even more challenging was my insistence on introducing what was considered a fringe practice. Pioneering permaculture in the everyday and in the suburban or urban contexts and forging new, sustainable practices within a conventional industry was certainly an obstacle. I was consistently steamrolled by men in the industry, from being referred to as an assistant to male counterparts to standing by as others took credit for my ideas. I’ve had to prove myself from the get-go, and make sure that when I say something it is well informed, researched, and practical. Those qualities have become the cornerstone of our work at Shades of Green, and have helped us forge a new path in an old industry.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
One of the things that excites me most about our business is the proof-of-concept we’ve built! We’ve created a regenerative, values-driven landscape company that’s not only profitable but also provides meaningful livelihoods. By applying permaculture principles—like sheet mulching and repurposing materials—we’ve shown that sustainable practices can be economically viable.

I’m incredibly proud of our team at Shades of Green Permaculture. Their dedication to healing the Earth through hard work and integrity is inspiring. Our mission attracts people who are passionate about making a difference, and together, we’re creating a positive impact.

What drives me even more is empowering others to connect with their landscapes and take on the role of environmental stewards. Conventional landscaping and agriculture have caused harm—not just to the environment, but also to the people working in them. I want homeowners to know there’s a better, healthier way to care for their land.

Also, becoming a B Corp in 2018 has resulted in lasting change within our organization that has spilled out into our community. To become a B Corp, you have to focus on long-term value instead of short-term gain and prioritize people and the planet over profit. One example of that is a shift in business model to support and build the economic vitality of local communities regardless of company growth or scale. In 2021, nearly 75% of Shades of Green’s non-labor expenses were with local independent suppliers and nearly 100% of our revenue came from local and independent clients. Beyond the dollar, we leverage our audience and volunteer force to help local organizations with permaculture projects and we offer pro-bono services to select social and environmental impact organizations. Our charitable practices include a formal charitable contribution goal of 1% of total revenue donated through in-kind or pro-bono services, and a charitable donations match on behalf of our staff as part of an employee recognition program.

We invest our time, energy, and resources in our local communities because this is where we see the biggest impact. We’re not talking about a hypothetical community. We’re talking about our neighbors. At Shades of Green, we try to model our business closely after natural ecosystems. When we look at the forest, we see so clearly that trees are investing hyper-locally in their own soil when they drop their leaves. Those are the nutrients from which the future sprouts.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Fall is festival season in Atlanta, and there’s so much to look forward to this time of year! We’ve got Chomp n Stomp, the Atlanta Pride Festival, and the L5P Halloween Festival on the horizon. If friends were visiting, we’d kick things off with dinner at Chai Pani on Friday night. Saturday would start with breakfast at Emerald City Bagels and coffee from Joe’s, followed by a Yoga with Robin session. Afterward, we’d head to Chomp n Stomp for live music, catching up with friends, and browsing all the amazing local art. Saturday night calls for a cozy dinner on the porch, enjoying the crisp evening air. To wrap up the weekend, we’d hit Ria’s Bluebird for Sunday brunch (their pancakes are everything!), then take a peaceful post-breakfast walk through Oakland Cemetery, which is especially atmospheric in the fall, and there are sometimes ghost tours or seasonal events.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yoga with Robin is my sanctuary for finding calm and balance in the chaos and stress of running a business. Also, I love working with our agency partner, KJPR (Kat Johnson PR). Kat and Liz have brought immense value to our team since we began working together in 2020, from creating social media content to garnering national online, print, and broadcast media.

Website: https://www.shadesofgreenpermaculture.com

Instagram: @shades_of_green_permaculture

Image Credits
HQ – Ashley Wilson
Brandy Headshot – Jonathan Banks