Episode 33: The Silent Crisis in Your Backyard (And How to Fix It) - Earth Sangha
In this inspiring on-location episode of the We’re Good Podcast, host Lee Ann Necessary Brownlee visits Earth Sangha in Springfield, Virginia to explore why native plants, habitat restoration, and invasive species removal matter so deeply in Northern Virginia. Executive Director Maddie Bright, longtime volunteer and Master Naturalist Caroline Haynes, and student conservation leader Brooke Ehmann-Jones share how Earth Sangha is helping restore local ecosystems while building a powerful, multigenerational community around environmental stewardship.
Listeners learn how native plant restoration supports birds, pollinators, amphibians, and other wildlife by rebuilding the healthy habitats they depend on. The conversation explains why invasive plants threaten local parks and neighborhoods, and how Earth Sangha’s work on both public lands and private gardens is making a visible difference across the Washington, DC region, including partnerships with the Fairfax County Park Authority, Arlington County, Alexandria, and other local conservation efforts.
The episode also highlights Earth Sangha’s unique role as a native plant nursery growing local ecotype plants from seeds collected in the region. With plans to expand from a one-acre site to twenty three acres thanks in part to a grant from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, the nonprofit is increasing its ability to supply tens of thousands of native plants for restoration projects, home gardens, and community education. Listeners will also hear how Earth Sangha’s internship and volunteer programs are shaping future conservation leaders, including Brooke, whose experience inspired her own native garden design business, Pollinator Patch Kids.
More than a conversation about gardening, this episode shows how conservation, community engagement, and environmental education come together to create healthier landscapes and stronger communities. For anyone interested in native gardening, ecology, pollinator habitat, Virginia nonprofits, or ways to get involved locally, this Earth Sangha episode offers practical insight, hope, and a reminder that small actions can help restore the natural world right outside our doors.
Hope you liked this episode. Please connect with us. Leave us your feedback here.
Subscribe & Review
If you like what you’ve heard on today’s episode please subscribe, follow, or share wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a great review, tag us in your next post and be sure to tell others about We’re Good!
Connect with Guest
Earth Sangha website
