By Kerri Williams

It’s not every day you get to chat with Joe Gardener. And it’s not every day that he comes to Westport.

But Joe Lamp’l, aka Joe Gardener, spent some time speaking with me last week ahead of his talk at the Westport Library on Monday, June 23 at 7 p.m. The program, entitled “Digging Deeper: Ecological Gardening for Beauty and Biodiversity” is the capstone event in the “Your Yard, Our Climate” series sponsored by Sustainable Westport and other town organizations this spring.

Joe, who resides and gardens in Atlanta, couldn’t be happier to speak about ecological gardening to Westporters.

“It’s what I’m all about,” he said.

In fact, Joe has been spreading the word through his “joegardener” website and podcast, in addition to hosting and creating the PBS series, “Growing a Greener World.” The show has been airing for more than 15 years and focuses on people across the country who are making a difference to the planet through how they garden.

“It never gets old,” Joe said. “I have done hundreds of shows.”

A passion for natural, chemical-free gardening

For Joe, passing on information on growing more native plants and discouraging the use of pesticides is a huge part of “growing green.”

“Gardening is not just about creating a beautiful space,” he said. “It’s about the environment and supporting wildlife. The more we know – the more we can do.”

Joe said he realizes that he is a small part of making the shift, but he added that every voice can make a difference.

“It’s something you have to hear multiple times before it clicks,” Joe said. “We need many voices beating this drum.”

The best part of doing his show for so many years, according to Joe, is having the opportunity to “shine a spotlight on unsung heroes.” He recalled one episode of his program that focused on a teacher in the Bronx, who brought his love of gardening to his students. This teacher taught the youngsters, many of whom rarely ate fresh fruit and vegetables, about how to grow their own. The episode won an Emmy, which Joe couldn’t be happier about.

“These stories need to be told,” he said. “…I don’t do it for the recognition. It’s teaching someone something they didn’t know about before.”

Keeping up with the latest information on gardening isn’t always easy.  But Joe said it helps that he is a “lifelong learner.”

“I am never content to not know more,” he said, adding that he is sometimes more on top of the latest information than those he is addressing. “A lot of times when I am saying something, people haven’t heard of it at all.”

Anyone can learn to garden sustainably

Joe hopes that gardeners of all levels will attend his Westport talk because everyone has something to learn about ecology. Even the people he calls “weekend warriors,” who do most of their yardwork on Saturday and Sunday, can learn a lot on how to be more ecologically minded, he said.

“These people aren’t calling themselves gardeners,” he said. “They may reach for a pesticide to kill that bug they see.”

But Joe said if he could teach one thing, it would be to stop using pesticides.

“No insecticide only kills one type of bug,” Joe said. “Ninety percent of bugs are beneficial or neutral. My role is to help people understand their options. We all need to make the effort to be ecologically responsible.”

Sustainable Westport is a non-profit organization with the mission to inspire, support and connect residents, organizations, and the town in making a commitment to move toward a “healthier, more sustainable future.” For more information, go to sustainablewestport.org.

Kerri Williams is a freelance writer who has worked in journalism for years, including as a reporter for the Norwalk Hour and managing editor of the Norwalk Citizen-News. If you have pictures or ideas to share, please send her an email at cultivatingwithkerri@gmail.com.