Host Michelle Lewis interviews Amberly Dyer of the Rodanthe Waves and Salvo Civic Association about their fourth annual Earth Day event in Rodanthe, which began as a free, neighbor-connecting plant swap tied to litter pickup and has grown to include live music, community organizations, master gardeners, native plant giveaways from a regional grower, and a low-cost raffle—while avoiding vendors to keep it pressure-free. They discuss gardening successes and frustrations (herbs, tomatoes, eggplant, okra, cold-weather crops, companion planting, and pests), the value of simple, consistent community engagement beyond social media, and how gardens help build relationships and shared leadership for longevity. Amberly shares that people—especially young people—give her hope, and she would use a “climate stick” to push better solutions for the power and water impacts of large data/AI centers on marginalized communities. Website: rwscivicassociation.org.

00:00 Meet Amberly Dyer

01:40 Why an Earth Day Event

03:44 Plant Swap and Gardening

04:50 Cold Crops and Garden Hacks

06:56 Favorite Plants and Pest Battles

10:03 Community Engagement Advice

12:30 Gardens Build Community

16:45 Growing Earth Day Bigger

17:34 Native Plants and Local Partners

19:32 When Events Really Connect

21:07 Start Local Gatherings

25:20 Herbs And Gut Health

27:21 Heat Tolerant Varieties

29:23 Container Gardening Basics

33:26 Earth Day Every Day

35:16 Climate Stick Data Centers

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