GardenDC Podcast Hosts Lois J. de Vries, Founder of the Sustainable Gardening Institute and Library
Why we
need a Sustainable Gardening Library and why sustainable gardening practices
are essential.
MONTCLAIR, NJ - Lois J. de Vries, Founding Executive Director of the Sustainable Gardening Institute and Library, was a recent guest on the GardenDC podcast episode, “Sustainable Gardening Practices”. In a wide-ranging conversation with host, Kathy Jentz, de Vries discussed what inspired her to create the Sustainable Gardening Library, a one-stop online resource for reliable sustainable gardening, farming, and infrastructure information.
She recalled her experience as a former field editor for a national magazine chain. At the same time she also chaired her local environmental commission. One of her first visits with a gardener was to a homeowner who had two state department of environmental protection violations on his property. “It really brought home to me how little many homeowners know about the environment and sustainable landscape practices, even though they know a lot about gardening,” she said.
The need for a kind of online clearinghouse for sustainable gardening information became even more apparent some years later, when de Vries chaired the Garden Writers Association’s sustainability committee. “Our editorial board was dealing with a particularly tricky subject. As we searched online for resources to vet an article, I discovered that every single blog, article, or reference in the first ten to fifteen pages on Google [were] all pointing to the same source. People were just copying from other people,” she said. Frustrated and concerned about the lack of information surrounding a topic that dictates the health of our planet, de Vries explained, “I just woke up one morning and said, ‘What we need is a Sustainable Gardening Library!’... I wouldn’t call it an epiphany, but a flash of insight where all of a sudden I saw the whole thing, and what the whole thing is, is the ability to show on a plant hardiness zone map where our sustainable landscape practice content providers are located”.
The Sustainable Gardening Library is a essential research tool for all gardeners and farmers, regardless of their experience. One feature of the library that Lois recommended to serious gardeners is the EcoRegions app, which “...combines the EPA Level II ecoregions with the USDA plant hardiness zones all in one map." This feature is useful to any gardener, as something as simple as identifying your region's soil can make or break the success of your garden.
Listen to the full GardenDC interview here. Lois can be contacted directly at 973-383-0497, or email L.devries@sustainablegardeninginstitute.org for more details.
ABOUT US
The Sustainable Gardening Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable gardening practices through education, community outreach, and their extensive online library. The Institute offers a range of tools and information to help individuals and organizations adopt sustainable gardening practices and reduce their environmental impact.
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