Climate Champ: Rachael Freeman

Through Bluedot’s Nantucket newsletter (sign up here), I asked readers for nominations for our recurring “Climate Champs” feature — where we highlight individuals who are doing inspiring work or “walking the talk” when it comes to eco-conscious and sustainable living in their communities.

One name rose to the top: Rachael Freeman.

Rachael has been executive director of the Nantucket Land Bank for almost two years, but she’s worked with the organization in various capacities for more than a decade before stepping into the leadership role. She’s spent her whole life on Nantucket (did you know she’s a Starbuck?), and in many ways has been part of stewarding the island for as long as she can remember. From working with the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, to running her own environmental consulting business, to her long career with the Land Bank, her work has consistently centered around the land and how people interact with it.

That connection doesn’t stop at her job. At home, Rachael and her family live many of the same practices she helps advance professionally — from solar panels and an electric vehicle to composting systems, a clothesline, and access to local food through the family farm next door.

I got to chat with Rachael this spring about how those everyday choices connect to her larger work, the projects she’s most proud of, and what it looks like to think about sustainability on a small island where land, water, and community are all deeply intertwined.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Britt Bowker: I learned through your nomination that you have solar panels and drive an electric vehicle. When did you make those switches, and how has it been going? 

Rachael Freeman: We’ve probably been in our house close to 10 years, and we’ve had our solar panels for at least six. The house we live in is substantially bigger than the house that we used to live in, and we have two sets of year-round tenants, so our electricity use is basically three households’ worth. We decided that we really wanted to offset some costs, and we put in solar panels at that time.

After that, gradually moving toward as much off the grid as we could be, I purchased an electric car — a Subaru Solterra. I’ve had that for probably three, four years now. And I love it. So I love the solar panels and I love my electric car.

Britt: Did anything about having these two energy efficient technologies surprise you?

Rachael: What has surprised me is that the maintenance has been virtually none. I think that is huge. Really the upfront cost is where you see the cost, and then it just truly does pay back over time.

And similarly, in my car, I don’t need oil changes. Right now there’s a maintenance light on and we called Subaru and said, “We live on Nantucket, there’s a maintenance light on.” And they said, “All we’re going to do is rotate your tires. So I wouldn’t bring it over.” I’ve done virtually nothing to my car for three or four years now, which is pretty amazing.

Britt: Do you have a charger at home?

Rachael: We do. We installed a charger, and that was similarly that upfront cost that then becomes very, very worthwhile in the long run. It makes it incredibly easy. I charge my car once a week. Nantucket is a perfect place to have an electric vehicle — I don’t drive incredibly far, and I can charge it one night a week and I’m good to go.

Britt: Do you have any other sustainable daily practices at home that you're particularly into?

Rachael: It’s funny, because some of these I’m going to have to attribute to my husband. He really firmly believes in reusing, recycling, not throwing out. So there’s a number of things that he does that I’ve adopted.

We have a clothesline, so whenever possible we are not using a dryer. His family owns Moors End Farm, and we live next door, so we have access to local food, which is incredible. We have a huge composting operation in our house, which includes worm compost and goes into our backyard garden. And depending on the day, some food waste goes to pigs or chickens at the farm.

So composting is something that we take pretty seriously. I think a lot of the things that some people take to the dump, we just are actually not, because they’re going either into our garden compost or to a farm animal.

Britt: I’m also curious — what brought you to Nantucket?

Rachael: My family’s actually from Nantucket. So little known fact, my middle name is Starbuck — and not after the coffee company. I’m related to the Starbucks, not directly founding families, but first edition. So my family’s been here forever. I grew up coming here to see my grandmother quite a bit.

I have always really, really loved the outdoors. That’s something that feels almost genetic. And it became apparent pretty early on that I needed to be doing work that allowed me to be part of nature. That’s really one of the ways I ended up here. I took a job with the Conservation Foundation, and that brought me here year-round.

Britt: Where else was home growing up?

Rachael: I grew up right outside of Boston, in Newton. I was born in Cambridge. I’m sort of a misfit city slicker — I never quite fit in there.

As a kid, my dream was to own a farm. And while I don’t own the farm and don’t claim to have any major impact on it, I do love that my in-laws run an amazing farm on the island. It kind of fulfills that desire that I had.

Britt: So you started at the Conservation Foundation, and now you’re with the Land Bank. Did you have any jobs in between?

Rachael: I had my own environmental consulting company, which focused on rare species permitting for different projects. I worked as a subcontractor on things like the Nantucket airport, bike paths, and the disc golf course — larger permitting projects. All the while, I was doing contract work for the Land Bank. I actually started part-time with them when my 13-year-old was one.

Britt: You’ve been executive director for almost two years now. How has that been?

Rachael: It's been fantastic. It’s not without its challenges, but I really enjoy it. I love the creativity, and I love the staff that I work with. I'm incredibly grateful for the leadership of the commission. I do think what the Land Bank does as an organization is amazing. So all in all, I love it. 

Britt: Can you talk me through some projects you’re particularly proud of?

Rachael: It's going to be hard to choose. I actually love everything that we're working on. 

The ones that have been most publicized lately are collaborative projects, where we’re working with the community to figure out how we can partner with local organizations and meet a need while staying within the Land Bank Act.

One example is the venison processing at the Community Food Hub, which was jointly purchased between Nourish Nantucket and the Land Bank. It brought together agricultural, recreation, and conservation components. Hunters donate deer, the Land Bank processes it, Nourish coordinates everything, and most of the venison goes directly to the food pantry.

To see that type of very collaborative system — where all the pieces come together — has been incredibly fun to be a part of. It really demonstrated what it looks like when we all work together.

Britt: Are there other projects that reflect these kinds of problem-solving collaborations?

Rachael: We purchased 41 Jefferson Avenue, which is now a public beach. We’re in the process of moving these unbelievably beautiful buildings off the property and repurposing them as year-round housing. Some are going to the Affordable Housing Trust, and some will become employee housing for Land Bank or municipal staff. That reuse component is really neat, and again it’s about collaboration — working with organizations that focus on housing to create a broader community benefit.

We’re also doing a small deconstruction project with Remain at 19 East Creek. Instead of moving the house, we’re deconstructing it and reusing the materials. Not every house can be moved, so what are the other opportunities to think sustainably and not have things go into the landfill? We’re starting at a small scale, but it’s something I’m really intrigued by. There’s even talk of creating pre-packaged sheds from salvaged materials, which I think is genius. Our job right now is to get the environmental permitting done, which we’re trying really hard to finish in order to make it so that this can happen. 

Britt: Are there other places on the island where you’re thinking about reuse in a similar way?

Rachael: There’s a couple other locations on the island where we have buildings that aren’t really an ideal spot. [19 East Creek] is a very waterfront property which is hugely at risk for sea level rise. The house is actually gutted, and when we purchased it, it was already gutted, so it doesn’t make sense as a dwelling, and it doesn’t make sense to put money into it because of the location. 

There are other properties like that where maybe it’s not the best place for a house, but what can we do with those materials instead of just sending them to waste options and shipping them off-island? Small scale, I’ll totally admit that. And maybe it’s not something that makes sense on a large scale, but who knows. Let’s try it and see if it works. 

Britt: Are there any other upcoming projects you’re especially excited about?

Rachael: We have a project on Lily Pond, which we’re going to be starting in the fall. It’s been in planning for at least five years. It’s a hugely complicated area — I like to call it the stormwater management facility for all of downtown Nantucket, which isn’t entirely true. But Lily Pond is a basin, so it’s low. I think seven different watersheds drain into this area, and there’s also a ton of stormwater from surrounding impervious areas. It’s in downtown, which is piped into this wetland, and then it all goes underground and goes to Children’s Beach and into the harbor. 

So the Land Bank has been working with the town of Nantucket’s sewer and stormwater departments to think through how we can restore this area and make best use of the wetland function — potentially putting in more stormwater swales on the edges to treat the stormwater that’s coming into this park, so that before it goes to the harbor, it’s as clean as possible. And this is also an amazing public park.  

We’re doing this really through green and nature-based solutions, coming up with ways that we can restore the park and increase the benefits to stormwater runoff in that we’re definitely going to be improving the water quality that’s entering the harbor. So that’s a really fun project. It’s all within the context of a public park, which is one of our main focuses, the interaction between people and nature. 

Britt: What are some easy, sustainable switches you’d recommend?

Rachael: Being mindful of waste is a big one. Are you taking the effort to recycle? Or do you — I’m guilty of this too — just want to get it out of your vehicles or out of your possession and so you go to the nearest trash can and throw it out? So really thinking through where you’re putting things. 

And transportation — Nantucket is a great place to walk or bike. I walked home the other night — it took 45 minutes, but sometimes in the summer it takes that long to drive and park. 

There’s a piece of slowing down in all of that, which is hard for all of us. But taking that extra second can make a difference. 

Britt: Do you see an overlap between how you live your life and how you run the Land Bank?

Rachael: Of course, but I also want to reiterate that the Land Bank isn’t shaped by one person. The staff, the commission, and the community all play a role. 

Everyone here cares deeply about public access and the environment, and that’s what shapes the work.