ChangeHampton Presents: Save the Planet, One Yard at a Time cover art

ChangeHampton Presents: Save the Planet, One Yard at a Time

ChangeHampton Presents: Save the Planet, One Yard at a Time

By: Francesca Rheannon Gail Pellett Stephan Van Dam
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ChangeHampton is an environmental organization on Eastern Long Island promoting healthy, non-toxic, bio-diverse and resilient landscapes. We are re-imagining our relationship with nature and changing minds. ChangeHampton's work connects the impulse for global change to local action. We are building a movement towards a new land ethic. Episodes explore our projects and values, themes, how-tos and resources through lively interviews with a broad range of global and local experts and activists. Francesca Rheannon hosts.©2025 ChangeHampton Inc. Biological Sciences Science
Episodes
  • Making the Switch—From Gas to Electric Leaf Blowers in East Hampton New York

    Making the Switch—From Gas to Electric Leaf Blowers in East Hampton New York
    Jun 10 2026

    Summary
    Gas-powered leaf blowers have become a flashpoint in communities across Long Island, raising concerns about noise, air pollution, climate impacts, and public health. But what happens when homeowners, landscapers, equipment manufacturers, and environmental advocates come together to explore alternatives?

    In this episode of ChangeHampton Presents, Francesca Rheannon takes listeners inside the Electric Leaf Blower Showcase held in East Hampton. The event brought together leaders in the transition to cleaner landscaping, from public health advocates and local officials to professional landscapers and manufacturers of battery-powered equipment.

    Guests discuss the health impacts of gas-powered leaf blowers, the growing movement to restrict or ban their use, and the practical realities of switching to electric equipment. Landscapers who have already made the transition share their experiences with battery life, maintenance costs, reliability, and customer expectations. Equipment manufacturers demonstrate how rapidly battery technology is advancing, while innovators introduce autonomous robotic mowers that could reshape the future of landscape management.

    The conversation reveals that the shift to electric landscaping is about more than replacing one tool with another. It’s about creating quieter neighborhoods, healthier workers, cleaner air, and more sustainable landscapes for the East End and beyond.

    Key Topics

    • Health impacts of gas-powered leaf blowers
    • Noise pollution and community quality of life
    • Air pollution and climate emissions
    • Local efforts to ban or restrict gas leaf blowers
    • Landscaper experiences transitioning to electric equipment
    • Battery life, performance, and reliability
    • Cost comparisons between gas and electric tools
    • Advances in battery-powered landscaping technology
    • Robotic lawn mowers and the future of landscaping
    • Ecological landscape management and soil health
    • State incentives for electric landscaping equipment
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    24 mins
  • Can Southampton save the Trees?: A New Land Clearing Ordinance

    Can Southampton save the Trees?: A New Land Clearing Ordinance
    Apr 25 2026
    Summary: Southampton Town Council members, Thomas Neely and Michael Iacilli discuss a new proposal to control landclearing during property development in Southampton. After much consultation with community organizations, civic groups, environmental organizations, they are proposing a new Land Disturbance Ordinance that attempts to stipulate how many sq ft o properties of different sizes can be cleared without a permit and how much with a permit. They discuss the significance that Southampton Town lies over top of the single source aquifer for Long Island. Trees and native shrubs and plants play an important role in sequestering carbon, producing clean air and oxygen, controlling water movement, flooding, soil health, while supporting wildlife and pollinators. They announce the upcoming community hearing on April 28 and the prospect for the ordinance to pass.AI Summary:Episode SummaryWhat happens when neighborhoods wake up to chainsaws and clear-cut lots, with no clear answers about whether it’s legal? In this episode of ChangeHampton Presents, Francesca Rheannon speaks with Southampton Town Board members Michael Iasilli and Thomas Neely about a proposed Land Disturbance Ordinance designed to protect trees, wildlife habitat, water quality, and community character by closing long-standing loopholes in town code.The proposed law would establish a permitting process for land clearing and excavation on properties of 20,000 square feet or larger, with a 2,000 square foot disturbance threshold before review is triggered. The goal is not to stop reasonable development, but to prevent unnecessary overclearing before it happens, rather than trying to repair environmental damage later through imperfect revegetation.The conversation explores why tree cover and healthy soils matter for aquifer protection, flood prevention, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration, and how unchecked clearing contributes to habitat loss and overdevelopment. Iasilli and Neely also discuss the extensive public process that shaped the proposal, including revisions made in response to community feedback, and why they believe this ordinance could become a model for other East End towns.Why This Matters NowAs development pressure intensifies across the East End, the question is whether communities can preserve ecological resilience before it is too late. This ordinance shifts the focus from mitigation after damage is done to prevention at the start, a potentially significant change in how local environmental protection works.Key TopicsSouthampton’s proposed Land Disturbance OrdinanceOverclearing and overdevelopment on the East EndProtecting aquifer recharge and water qualityTrees, carbon sequestration, and flood preventionWildlife habitat and pollinator protectionRevegetation versus preservationCommunity input and environmental governanceBalancing property rights and ecological stewardshipQuotes from Neely & Iacilli:“If we protect the aquifer as we’re doing, but ignore the land in between the aquifer and the water bodies, we risk polluting the very water that we’re trying to save as it moves through the ecosystem.” “What we’re trying to do is get ahead of it at the beginning of the building process.” “You don’t really get what was there for 50 years or 100 years that’s been torn away.” “We need the pollinators. We need the insects. We need the animals to have places to live.” “This creates that notification system… and allows the environmental division to take a look before you go ahead and just clear everything out.” From Southampton Town:The proposed Land Disturbance Ordinance is designed to curb overdevelopment by creating a Land Disturbance permitting process that gives the Town’s Land Management department the ability to limit overclearing before it happens.Under the proposal, on properties of 20,000 square feet or larger, up to 2,000 square feet could be cleared or disturbed without additional review. Any clearing or disturbance beyond that 2,000 square foot threshold would require approval through Land Management.This review process would allow the Town’s environmental division to assess plans before construction begins, helping prevent excessive clear-cutting and other environmental damage before alterations are made.The ordinance also seeks to close loopholes in the Town Code, where current restrictions apply only within the Town’s APOD (Aquifer Protection Overlay District) areas, which cover less than half of the Town.The next Town Board hearing on this legislation will be April 28 at 6 PM at Southampton Town Hall. More on the legislation here: https://www.southamptontownny.gov/2373/Draft-Legislation
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    31 mins
  • The Little Things that Rule the World: An Interview with Matthew Shepherd of Xerces Society

    The Little Things that Rule the World: An Interview with Matthew Shepherd of Xerces Society
    Apr 14 2026

    Summary: In this episode of Changehampton Presents, host Francesca Rheannon speaks with Matthew Shepherd of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation about the critical role insects play in sustaining ecosystems—and the alarming decline many species are facing.

    From the “windshield effect” to the loss of habitat and widespread pesticide use, Shepherd explains what’s driving the disappearance of pollinators and other invertebrates. He also addresses common concerns about ticks and offers practical, science-based strategies for managing landscapes in ways that protect both human health and biodiversity.

    Most importantly, this conversation is grounded in hope: even small changes—planting native flowers, reducing lawn chemicals, or creating habitat—can help restore the ecosystems that insects, birds, and humans depend on.

    Key Topics

    • The importance of insects in ecosystems and food webs

    • Causes of insect decline: habitat loss, pesticides, landscape management

    • The “windshield effect” and shifting baselines

    • Pollinators and their role in food production

    • Ticks and how to manage landscapes safely without widespread pesticide use

    • Lawns vs. biodiverse habitats

    • Native plants and their relationship to native insects

    • The role of insects in supporting bird populations

    • Keystone species vs. biodiversity

    • Practical steps individuals and communities can take
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    31 mins
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