In this episode of ChangeHampton Presents: Save the Planet, One Yard at a Time, host Francesca Rheannon speaks with Long Island science teacher and homeowner Amiee Kemp, whose decision to replace her front-yard lawn with native plants landed her in court — and turned her into an accidental advocate for ecological change.

What began as a personal effort to “transform this yard into a functioning ecosystem” evolved into a powerful local test case about how suburban communities define beauty, order, and environmental responsibility. Amy describes how her garden now absorbs floodwater, supports dozens of species of birds and pollinators, and requires no pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers — yet was labeled “unsightly” by her village.

Amy shares how her graduate work through Miami University’s Project Dragonfly deepened her commitment to community-based conservation, and how even small suburban lots can serve as vital ecological connectors in fragmented landscapes. She explains why native plants matter more than popular non-native “pollinator plants,” how her family’s yard is registered with Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Park, and what she has learned about building neighbor support through education and “cues to care.”

The conversation also highlights the deeply human side of re-wilding: Amy’s young son helping to research species, neighbors stopping by to learn about bees, and the garden becoming a living outdoor classroom. Ultimately, this episode asks a larger question: How might re-imagining our lawns help re-imagine our communities in an era of climate disruption and biodiversity loss?

This episode of *Change Hampton Presents: Save the Planet One Yard at a Time* features writer and activist **Bill McKibben**, discussing his memoir *The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon*. McKibben reflects on his suburban childhood in Lexington, Massachusetts, and how the U.S. shifted from community-minded values in the 1960s–70s toward hyper-individualism, inequality, weakened democracy, and climate inaction. He critiques the legacy of the Reagan era, the role of suburbanization in eroding community, and the shift in Christianity from communal to individual salvation.

McKibben underscores the stakes of climate change, praising the Inflation Reduction Act as a long-awaited but partial step forward. He imagines how different the world might have been had Jimmy Carter’s renewable energy vision prevailed. He also describes his work organizing seniors through **Third Act**, mobilizing their political and financial influence to protect democracy and the climate.

Although this is a repurposing of a 2022 interview with McKibben by host Francesca Rheannon, it is timely for an upcoming talk by McKibben in East Hampton. He is on a speaking tour promoting his new book: Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. In the book McKibben reveals what is shocking news to many -- in the past two years solar energy has become the popular choice of energy around the world.

Quotes from the interview:

* *“The average American has about half as many close friends today as the average American in the 1950s.”*

* *“We ended the work of trying to build a better society… and took up the work of just looking out for ourselves.”*

* *“Every time we double the amount of solar energy that we install, the price goes down another 30%.”*

* *“If we had re-elected Jimmy Carter, the world would be in a very different spot—China’s boom might have been powered by sun and wind, not coal.”*

* *“Our generation won these fights once—civil rights, women’s rights, clean air, voting rights—we can do it again.”*

* *“Both the flag and the Bible are radical documents, if you look closely.”*