It was standing room only for the “Gardening for the Future” event, hosted here in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, by Natalie M. Friedberg and the E.R. Neighborhood Council. WILD YARDS crew Lisa Novick (Director of Outreach: Theodore Payne Foundation) and Chloe Renee Ziegler (landscaper and ERNC member) joined me for the hour-long presentation to homeowners, landscapers and realty folks. The buzz is palpable when people begin to realize not just the staggering amount of agency they have to positively impact the state of the natural world, but also how liberating it can be to start. “You mean I don’t have to rake my leaves anymore?”, was one outburst. Along with replacing non-beneficial exotics with natives, people really seem to love the idea of “letting their dirt be dirty”, and returning all those beneficial microbes and matter back into their gardens. At the same time, the feedback for us regarding how little information and resources there are for people has inspired us to keep generating take-away for every talk, so that people leave not just inspired, but armed with a list of landscapers and nurseries in their area, as well as “How to Get Started” materials to keep the momentum - and the movement - growing.