Town of Babylon’s Green Homes Program Partners With Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions For Native Plant Workshop

The Town of Babylon Green Homes Program and Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions are helping homeowners create healthier, more resilient landscapes through a free workshop series focused on native plants and sustainable landscaping. Participants will learn the benefits of native plants, both for Long Island's environment and for homeowners' wallets, and they will be taught environmentally friendly landscaping techniques that can be applied in their own yards.

"Green Homes is about the whole property, not just what's inside it," said Jassi Anand, Sustainability Director of the Town of Babylon Green Homes Program. "Pairing our Green Homes Program with this workshop series gives residents a complete blueprint for a truly sustainable home, from the roof to the yard."

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Native plants are species that occur naturally in a region and have evolved alongside the local climate, soil, and wildlife over thousands of years. Because they are well-suited to Long Island's growing conditions, native plants typically need no water or fertilizer, and only occasional maintenance once established, saving homeowners time and money. They also improve biodiversity by providing food and habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, and they help absorb stormwater and reduce runoff. From wildflowers and ornamental grasses to flowering shrubs and shade trees, native plants offer homeowners a wide range of options for building a vibrant, resilient landscape.

In addition to explaining the basics of native plants, each of the three workshops covers additional points including invasive species and their removal, plant selection basics, pollinator garden explanations, stormwater-friendly designs, and practical takeaways attendees can apply at home.

"Long Island's yards have so much untapped potential to support wildlife and manage stormwater, but most homeowners just don't know where to start," said Frank Piccininni, President and CEO of Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions. "These workshops are about giving people practical, hands-on tools to turn their yards into something that's both low-maintenance and genuinely good for the ecosystem around them."

The remaining two workshops on August 17th and 31st at 6:00 pm will be held at the Phelps Lane Pool Building and are free and open to the public. Those interested in attending can register here: www.townofbabylonny.gov/951/Native-Gardens-Sustainable-Landscaping.

By popular demand, a native plant sale has also been added to the workshop by Long Island Native Plants Initiative, featuring locally grown plants from their nursery in Brentwood and giving attendees the opportunity to take home plants and put the tips they just learned into practice.

About the Town of Babylon Green Homes Program

The Town of Babylon Green Homes Program helps residents make more sustainable choices at home. From improving energy efficiency through oil to electric conversions, weatherization and heat pump installations, to adopting electric vehicles, composting organic waste in their backyards, collecting rainwater, and reducing, recycling, and reusing household items. Since its launch in 2008, the program has helped over two thousand Babylon homeowners reduce energy and consumption, lower utility costs, and decrease their environmental impact while creating healthier homes.

About Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions

Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions is a Long Island-based ecological landscaping and habitat restoration company dedicated to restoring native ecosystems through sustainable landscape design. The organization specializes in native plantings, pollinator gardens, stormwater management, invasive species removal and habitat restoration, helping communities create landscapes that are both beautiful and environmentally beneficial.