Hi, everybody. This is Joe Lampel, the Joe behind Joe Gardner, and welcome to the Joe Gardner's show.

This episode is a little bit different from what you're used to hearing here, but stay with me, because

what we're talking about today has everything to do with the values that we all share as

gardeners, land stewards, and people who care deeply about our environment. Recently, I had the opportunity to travel

to Westport, Connecticut to deliver a keynote address at the invitation of Sustainable Westport,

a local nonprofit doing inspiring work to move their entire community toward a healthier,

more sustainable future. And their mission is about making meaningful change,

both big and small, and helping others do the same. And the more I learned as I prepared for this

event, the more I thought this is a story that needs to be told far and wide. That idea of walking

the talk and finding ways to motivate others to take their own steps forward is something I believe strongly in.

Because while we're all doing our part in our own gardens or communities, there's always more that we can do to inspire the people around us.

My hope for this episode is that it will inspire you in some way, whether you're just getting started yourself or you're

someone with more time and passion to put towards building a similar program in your own town.

There's a gold mind of ideas in this conversation and in the accompanying show notes that I think

you'll find both practical and motivating. In this episode, I sit down with two amazing leaders from

Sustainable Westport, Johanna Martel, and Gately Ross. We talk about the ripple effects of local

action, how to foster change at the community level, and why your voice and your example

matters more than ever. Thanks to the also amazing Gretchen Hoffman,

another key contributor to the success of Sustainable Westport's ongoing efforts,

with whom I had the chance to work with leading up to and during my time in Westport.

And one fun side note I wanted to mention before we get started,

I added an outtake to the very end of this episode, which is after the

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