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Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics
The Theme for Earth Day 2024 -- A Daunting Task The theme for Earth Day 2024 is Planet vs. Plastic. Reducing plastics by 60% by 2040 is the goal, and achieving this goal will be daunting. I’m shocked at how much plastic is used daily, and I’m seriously trying to cut...
We Can Do Better for the Planet: Addressing Sustainability in Our Schools
Introducing the Author My name is Kate Kupchak, and I am a student at New Canaan High School. I am the oldest sister of four. While these two points are seemingly unrelated, many of my experiences as the firstborn have significantly corresponded to my expectations as...
Reducing Waste: My Odyssey of Remodeling Our Bathroom Sustainably
I had finally had enough of my boys’ bathroom. Though it may have had a few updates over the years, it has basically stayed the same since the house was built in 1986. Finally, with some time on my hands, I decided it was time to make a change. A Long List of Needed...
Backyard Composting: Tips and Tricks
Backyard composting is easy -- really. If you spend over an hour/year managing, you're over-investing. And don't worry: It won't smell or attract vermin. The dual benefits of home composting include: Having great compost on site for your garden Keeping food scraps out...
Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Eliminating aerosols and protecting your health
Written by Ava Licata We all love our tried and trusted dry shampoo for the days when washing our hair is just too much of a hassle. Brands like Batiste, Living Proof, R+Co, and Amika are some popular sellers of aerosol dry shampoos that you might be using. What’s...
Last Minute Panic Buying? Shop Local and Sustainable in New Canaan.
Ideas of How to Shop Local and Sustainable in New Canaan. Panic may be setting in if you still need to finish your Christmas list with only a few days left. Those Amazon boxes won't make it in time for opening presents on Christmas morning but that isn't necessarily a...
How to be more sustainable this Holiday Season: 10 Tips
If buying new holiday lights, make sure they are LED. Not only do they use a lot less energy, but they are also less of a fire risk than incandescent lights.
Shop Local! There will be ubiquitous cardboard boxes being delivered all over New Canaan this holiday season. Why not break from the new normal and visit our local downtown for holiday gifts. Helps cut down on shipping waste and helps our local stores. Gift certificates to local restaurants and experiences are always a great gift.
Piloting Food Waste Diversion in New Canaan Restaurants
The Importance of Food Waste Diversion A couple months ago, I set out to figure out how Planet New Canaan could help local restaurants divert their food waste. This seemed a logical next steps after the positive advancements New Canaan has made by setting up food...
A Solar Panel Experience Worth Sharing
Solar panels are good for the planet and for my pocketbook. In 2015, we installed twelve solar panels on our garage roof. They cost me $13,947 after rebates, and the panels reduced our Eversource metered electricity usage by two-thirds, giving us a 7.5% yield on our...
Ways To Be More Sustainable: My Experience of Buying an Electric Blower
“It’s Saturday. About Your Leaf Blower” This was the headline in Jessica Stolzberg’s Op Ed in New York Times on April 15th. I have a feeling you already get the gist. Overwhelmed by the constant bad news on the state of the climate, we are nevertheless determined to...
Time to Make Our Events More Sustainable? Let’s Start with the Popular St. Mark’s May Fair!
Finally, we are all starting to gather. No doubt your calendar is filling up with weddings, graduations, galas, and plain old social gatherings with friends and families. And best yet, just around the corner is what was my kids’ annual favorite…yes, St. Mark’s May...
Making a Positive Change: New Canaan College Student Starts on a Career in Renewable Energy
When Henry Asker (NCHS ‘18) was in high school he, like many other high school students, ran on the varsity track team, volunteered with the SLOBS, and enjoyed math and science. Henry was fairly confident that his college and career trajectory would take him into the...
Environmental Issues Today: What to Do About Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers?
Leaf blowers have recently been causing quite a ruckus in residential communities across the country. For some, gas-powered leaf blowers continue to be a necessary and commonplace landscaping appliance. For many others, the use of these outmoded tools is entirely...
Back to Basics: How Composting Food Scraps Can Make a Difference
Back to Basics: How Composting Food Scraps Can Make a Difference When you think about a night of meal preparation, what comes to mind? Probably a combination of chopping, sautéing, containers to store the leftovers, and the inevitable clean-up process. Aside from all...
Food Scrap Recycling: How You Can Help
My Story: How I Started I started collecting and composting my food scraps over 15 years ago. I didn't start because I was thinking of the environment. Well, not exactly. I did know that I would be recycling material. I'm a gardener and I'm cheap. Composting allowed...
Leaf Blowers: A Triple Threat
During these challenging cold winter days, do you notice an unusual quiet outside? Bet you don’t miss the constant hum, or should I say, roar, of multiple landscapers blowing leaves, cut grasses, twigs and whatever in your neighborhood? Winter offers some advantages...
Waste Not, Want Not: Use It All
Food waste is a problem. Not just what we do with it (ends up in a landfill, mostly) but also the natural and human resources used to produce, transport and market it. Research from the United Nation shows that around 17% of food is wasted worldwide – that’s One Billion Tons.
Recycling is More Than Your Blue Bin
When you think of recycling, do you picture a blue bin filled with glass, paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans? If so, you are not alone. Single Stream recycling certainly has made recycling easier, as we no longer have to sort and separate items. However, the...
Composting Your Autumn Leaves
Autumn’s wonderful leafy colors are followed by yards full of fallen leaves. What can you do with them in a way that is most ecologically responsible?
Six Tips of Entertaining More Sustainably This Summer.
Summer is all about picnics, barbecues, and parties – especially now that we can socialize with our friends and family again! Which, unfortunately, often means increased waste…Planet New Canaan is here to help!
Pollinators
Here are some of our favorite native plants for attracting hummingbirds. Plus consider annuals, although not native, annuals offer lots of nectar and blooms all summer. Native Perennials and Shrubs * Trumpet Creeper, Campsis radicans* Oswego Tea, Monarda didyma*...
21 Sustainable New Years Resolutions
21 Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions Inside Your House 1. If you are not composting at home, start using the new Food Scrap program at New Canaan Transfer Station to divert reusable organic waste from the municipal waste stream. Check out our program here. 2....
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