Our Initiatives

Pollinator Pathway

Overview of New Canaan’s Pollinator Pathway

In April 2019, ten town organizations, including Planet New Canaan, joined forces to create the New Canaan Pollinator Pathway. The Pollinator Pathway’s goal is to create a pollinator-friendly corridor throughout New Canaan, using both private and public land. The corridor provides pollinators, such as bees, hummingbirds and butterflies, a continuous path of much needed pollinator friendly habitat.

Pathway Partners work together to expand New Canaan’s pollinator corridor by:

• Educating the public on how to create pollinator friendly gardens on their own properties; and
• Working with the Town and local non-profits with land to establish and maintain pollinator gardens.

How Planet New Canaan Has Helped

In Spring 2019, Planet New Canaan created a bi-annual fundraiser with Copia Home and Garden in neighboring Vista, New York. Every spring and fall, when gardeners often plant new plants, PNC and Copia raise funds for a designated New Canaan Pollinator Pathway partner. With every purchase of $75 of native plants, Copia donates $10 native plants to the chosen organization. 

Our fundraising program provides more native plants to properties open to the public and encourages homeowners to plant native plants on their own properties. Since the program’s inception, over $3,000 has been raised, enabling the purchase and planting of native plants valued at $6,000. (Copia gives us the plants at the wholesale price — amplifying their donation).

For more information on the Pollinator Pathway, please visit the Pollinator Pathway website.

Swap Shop

New Canaan Swap Shop

Since it’s start in Nov of 2022, the New Canaan Swap Shop has been thriving and expanding, thanks to our partnership with the Public Works Department and the dedication of our volunteers. Over the past year, it has become the go-to destination for finding gently used items that others no longer want or need. 

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

New Canaan residents with a transfer pass can come in to drop-off and/or browse our constantly changing inventory that boasts hundreds of items ranging from kitchenware, pots, pans and glassware to sporting equipment, electronics, lamps, tools, books and toys.

The Swap Shop has been such a success that in May 2024, we converted the old Transfer Station Scale House into more usable space.

The obvious benefit – giving gently used items a new lease on life through reuse – reducing the need for them to be discarded or recycled.

Learn more about New Canaan’s Swap Shop.

Lear

Pollinator Pathway

Overview of New Canaan’s Pollinator Pathway

In April 2019, ten town organizations, including Planet New Canaan, joined forces to create the New Canaan Pollinator Pathway. The Pollinator Pathway’s goal is to create a pollinator-friendly corridor throughout New Canaan, using both private and public land. The corridor provides pollinators, such as bees, hummingbirds and butterflies, a continuous path of much needed pollinator friendly habitat.

Pathway Partners work together to expand New Canaan’s pollinator corridor by:

• Educating the public on how to create pollinator friendly gardens on their own properties; and
• Working with the Town and local non-profits with land to establish and maintain pollinator gardens.

How Planet New Canaan Has Helped

In Spring 2019, Planet New Canaan created a bi-annual fundraiser with Copia Home and Garden in neighboring Vista, New York. Every spring and fall, when gardeners often plant new plants, PNC and Copia raise funds for a designated New Canaan Pollinator Pathway partner. With every purchase of $75 of native plants, Copia donates $10 native plants to the chosen organization. 

Our fundraising program provides more native plants to properties open to the public and encourages homeowners to plant native plants on their own properties. Since the program’s inception, over $3,000 has been raised, enabling the purchase and planting of native plants valued at $6,000. (Copia gives us the plants at the wholesale price — amplifying their donation).

For more information on the Pollinator Pathway, please visit the Pollinator Pathway website.

Native Tree Planting

Planet New Canaan ran a crowd-sourced fundraising campaign in April 2021 to purchase native trees for the Town of New Canaan’s treasured park, Waveny Park. The goal of $7,500 was quickly reached; Sustainable CT, matched the raised amount with a grant of $7,500

Fifteen large, native plants purchased with the raised funds were planted by New Canaan’s Public Works Department in Waveny Park in September 2021, replacing many old, beautiful trees that had been lost over recent years. A combination of red maples, sugar maples and dogwoods were planted. Native trees provide habitat and food sources for our native birds, bees, insects and invertebrates – supporting biodiversity, contributing to New Canaan Pollinator Pathway, and enhancing carbon sequestration.

Swap Shop

After a Covid-related delay, we are gearing up for our next sustainability project: The Swap Shop. Our new waste-reduction program is built off the adage:

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Darien Swap Shop

Darien’s popular Swap Shop serves our model. Piloted in 2009 in an old tent, Darien’s Swap Shop is now housed in a permanent 25’ x 25’ structure of corrugated metal with a foundation, electricity, skylights and an overhead fan, funded by a grant from DEEP in 2017.

The Swap Shop enables residents with a town permit to drop off or pick up usable items that are in good shape but no longer wanted for free.

At any given time, the Swap Shop contains hundreds of items including everything from pots and pans, clothing, jackets, and fabrics to ski equipment, electronics, tools, and toys. The obvious benefit: reusing items that otherwise would be thrown away or recycled.