What if your yard could do more than just look good? What if it could help reverse climate change, support struggling pollinators, and restore wildlife habitats — without sacrificing beauty?

That was the central message of Sustainable Westport’s capstone speaker event for Your Yard, Our Climate, featuring nationally recognized gardening expert Joe Lamp’l. It was a wonderful gathering of people curious about how we can create beautiful, climate-positive and habitat-friendly landscapes. If you missed the event — or want to revisit Joe’s inspiring and informative talk — you can now scroll down to watch the full recording.

Joe guided the audience through the evolution of gardening, from the traditional “make it look pretty” mindset, to the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) and the rise of organic gardening, and now to ecological gardening, which prioritizes biodiversity, soil health, and sustainability. In other words, we’re moving from gardening for ourselves to gardening for the planet.

In his talk, Joe shared 10 actionable ecological gardening practices for making your yard more ecologically friendly. Some practices are simple, like increasing the use of living or natural mulch because it does so many positive things, including reducing soil compaction, reducing soil-born diseases, suppressing weed germination and retaining moisture. Others are more strategic, like reducing lawn size in favor of native plants that support local pollinators and birds. Each practice or tip is designed to help you work with nature, not against it.

Whether you’re just beginning to think differently about your yard or already on a sustainable gardening journey, Joe’s talk is full of practical ideas and motivation to take your next step. The time is now to make a change (3 billion birds have vanished from North America in the last 50 years!!). 

“We are now at a critical point of losing so many species from local ecosystems that their ability to produce the oxygen, clean water, flood control, pollination, pest control, carbon storage, etc, that is, the ecosystem services that sustain us, will become seriously compromised.” Doug Tallamy, as quoted by Joe Lamp’l

Watch the video, pick a tip or two, and start transforming your yard into a force for good:

More about Joe Lamp’l:

Joe Lamp’l is the creator and host of The joe gardener® Show podcast and founder of joegardener.com and the joegardener® Online Gardening Academy™. He’s also the creator, host, and executive producer of the Emmy-winning national public television series Growing a Greener World®, now available on YouTube.

A longtime advocate for organic gardening and ecological stewardship, Joe has shared his expertise as the host of Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network and as an on-air contributor for The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Weather Channel. His work has earned numerous accolades, including the American Horticultural Society’s B.Y. Morrison Communication Award for outstanding and inspirational garden education across multiple platforms.

Joe’s latest book, The Vegetable Gardening Book, offers a practical, comprehensive guide to growing food successfully—whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gardener. Through his podcasts, courses, and extensive online resources, Joe continues to educate and inspire a new generation of gardeners.

Thank you to the coalition who helped bring the full “Your Yard, Our Climate” initiative to life.