4 Ways to Recycle Your Christmas Tree for Wildlife

 

1/2/2014 // By Danielle Brigida

 

Each year, about 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States, mostly from a selection of about 16 species of tree that we commonly call a “Christmas Tree.” They are decorated with lights and ornaments, become backdrops for annual family photos, and serve as a traditional umbrella for gifts to loved ones. Ultimately, the day comes when they need to be disposed of. What’s often overlooked though, is that these trees can benefit your local wildlife, the soil in your yard, or even nearby restoration projects.

Here are some easy ways for you to help wildlife or enrich your local area with your trees after you’ve enjoyed them (and removed all the ornaments) this holiday season.

1. Create a brush pile with your tree as the base

A brush pile often consists of leaves, logs, and twigs so an old Christmas tree can make a great base. This is the easiest thing you can do with your tree if you have a yard. It directly benefits the wildlife in your backyard during winter months because brush piles and dead trees offer food and needed protection from the chill. We have suggestions for how to make a brush pile and we understand that not all communities allow for them.

2. Use it in the garden

There are a number of ways you can use your recycled Christmas tree to enrich your soil by composting it or using the pine needles and boughs to cover your garden bed. Chop the trunk and branches and break your tree down, this will allow you to add some nice insulation to your garden.

NWF Staffer Mollie Simon insulated her garden and made a decorative wreath with her family’s tree.

3. Decorate your tree for wildlife

If you love to watch birds or want a fun project, you can decorate your tree with edible ornaments or popcorn strings so that you feed wildlife like birds and squirrels. This is a enjoyable activity to do with kids or the young at heart (me) and can help wildlife at a time when food is scarce. Most of the recipes call for peanut butter, fresh fruit (like grapes, berries, or apples), suet and bird seed.

These crafts all make edible ornaments for wildlife:

·          Heart-shaped ornaments for the birds

·          Pine cone bird feeder

·          Suet ornaments

For more on decorating trees for wildlife:

·          Edible Wildlife Tree – USFWS

·          Edible Christmas Tree for Wildlife – NWTF and metroparent

4. Donate your tree to a local restoration project

Watch this video about how Christmas trees are used in Louisiana to rebuild wetlands.

There are all sorts of great local projects that take in Christmas trees and use them for restoration projects. At National Wildlife Federation, we have talked about using Christmas trees to help prevent wetland loss in Louisiana. Other projects have helped provide fish habitat, restore dunes, and even provide electricity or mulch for cities. If your county does have a tree disposal program, do a little digging to make sure you like where your tree ends up! You can also check out these additional ideas on how to recycle your tree.

What plans do you have for your Christmas tree?

If you used a real tree this year, let us know what you’re doing with it in the comment section below, or share a link to any places you know of that use Christmas tree donations to help wildlife or the environment. If you have a living or artificial tree, don’t miss out on the fun—ask a friend who has a real tree what plans they have.

http://blog.nwf.org/2014/01/recycleyourtreeforwildlife/

 

 

 

 

City of Fort Lauderdale's Christmas Tree Disposal

 

 

 

Holiday tree disposal         

 

Fort Lauderdale residents may place holiday trees curbside for pickup on scheduled yard waste collection days. The free service begins the week of December 28 and concludes on January 9, 2016.

 

The convenient service provides a more environmentally responsible method for holiday tree disposal. The curbside pickup is expected to reduce the volume of trees in the bulk waste stream. In addition, trees that are placed curbside will be specially collected by Republic Services and targeted for reuse. Removal of tree stands, tinsel, lights and ornaments from trees is required. Tree bags must also be removed.

Other traditional options for tree disposal are still available, including cutting and disposing of trees in green yard waste carts, placement in bulk pickup piles or transporting trees to a Broward County designated site. However, neighbors are encouraged to take advantage of the more eco-friendly curbside collection. Recycling trees reduces garbage disposal costs and the amount of waste going to landfills.

 

For more information about holiday tree disposal in the City of Fort Lauderdale, please contact the City of Fort Lauderdale's 24-Hour Customer Service Center at 954-828-8000 or www.fortlauderdale.gov/lauderserv. 

 

 

 

 

'GIF't A Tree': Help NBCUniversal and Arbor Day Foundation to Plant Trees During the Holidays

"It's been exciting, rewarding and has made a difference." Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation

 

By Aaron Montes

 

NBCUniversal and the Arbor Day Foundation once again team up during the holidays to spread awareness and draw attention to the importance of planting trees.

 

NBCUniversals' donation of $25,000 to the Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization, will go to planting more trees. Since 2009, the two have partnered in a large social media campaign to spread a message of holiday cheer for the environment.

 

Green is Universal, NBCUniversal's initiative to raising environmental awareness, and the foundation are asking participants to use the hashtag #GIFtATree and create or share GIF's, the popular animated photo files, on social media. For each post, or GIF created, the foundation will plant a tree in a state or federal forest until they have planted 25,000, which amounts to $1 a tree.

 

This year, #GIFtATree to the environment by:

<![if !supportLists]>·         <![endif]>Going to greenisuniversal.com and creating and sharing a holiday GIF

<![if !supportLists]>·         <![endif]>Using #GIFtATree on social

 

Green is Universal has provided a variety of templates to create a GIF on their website. A Douglas Fir, Garry Oak, Red Maple and Longleaf Pine are available to decorate with holiday trinkets and create wintery scenes. Participants can also share pictures of their holiday trees as part of the campaign.

 

“It's a unique way to draw attention to the importance of trees,” Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation said. "It's been exciting, rewarding and has made a difference."

 

James Kolstad, the director of social innovation at NBCUniversal’s corporate social responsibility, said the foundation works with trees in the U.S.’s state and national parks that are in need of replanting due to natural forces such as fires or droughts, making Arbor Day the perfect partners for the environmental initiative.

 

Kolstad said giving back is a central theme to the holidays and by participating in the social media campaign, anyone can have fun while giving back to the environment.

 

“The beauty of the GIF’t A Tree campaign is that there are so many ways to participate,” he said. “For each of those actions, you’re helping to plant real trees for the holidays.”

 

“GIF’t A Tree” will last the whole month of December and kicks-off Wednesday Dec. 2, the same day as the “2015 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting,” a tradition practiced in New York City since 1933. A Norway Spruce currently sits on Fifth Ave., and between 49th and 50th Street ready to dazzle the Big Apple.

 

Published at 6:41 AM EST on Dec 9, 2015

 

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/GIFt-A-Tree-NBCUniversal-Gives-25000-to-Arbor-Day-Foundation-to-Plant-Trees-359066741.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_NYBrand

 

 

 

 

 

How to reduce food waste this holiday season

 

 

• Date: December 15, 2015
• Author: Pete Pearson

 

Pete Pearson works on food waste prevention and the intersection of agriculture and wildlife. Follow him on Twitter @petedpearson.

The holiday season is upon us, which means spending time with friends and family. And it almost certainly means enjoying holiday parties where food is front and center during the celebration. As the “food waste guy” at WWF, I always attract comments at the buffet line. Without doubt, I will hear calls to “clean my plate” and “we’d better not waste food with Pete around.”

While the attention can be repetitive, we might all need a “food waste guy” around to remind us how our attitude about food needs to change.

• Agriculture accounts for 70% of the fresh water used by people and nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• About 29% of global fish stocks are over-exploited and 61% are fully-exploited.
• Agriculture is the largest driver of tropical deforestation.
• The EPA estimates that during the holidays our household waste increases by about 25%.

My job at WWF was created to promote a more efficient food system that reduces waste. When we throw away food, we’re also throwing away the land, water, and energy used to produce that food.

“When we throw away food, we’re also throwing away the land, water, and energy used to produce that food. ”  -- Pete Pearson Director of Food Waste, WWF 

Agriculture is vital for human survival, but its expansion is the leading cause of stress on the last remaining biodiverse regions around the globe—this at a time when we grow enough food to feed everyone and between 30-40% of what we grow never makes it to a dinner plate.

If we can make more food available from what’s already produced—by minimizing waste—we might slow deforestation in the Amazon or preserve the grasslands in the Northern Great Plains.

If you’re passionate about conservation, consider this: preventing and reducing food waste is one of the best things you can do to conserve natural resources and wildlife.

This holiday season, avoid tossing food in the trash by taking these steps:

• Try not to over prepare food; instead try to prepare “just enough.”
• Encourage friends and family to take leftovers home.
• Store leftovers in the freezer to enjoy after you’ve had a break from them for a little while.
• Search “holiday leftover recipes” online for new ideas.

The key is to get creative and prevent waste from even occurring. Make preventing food waste your personal act of conservation.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-to-reduce-food-waste-this-holiday-season?utm_campaign=food&utm_medium=email&utm_source=enews-wwf&utm_content=1512c-ed

 

 

Green Thoughts for the Holidays

 

 

Here’s a collect of green thoughts from a website that no long exists – Green is Sexy and a few of my own:

 

lighten up.

Friends have been telling us about the new LED lights they have purchased for their holiday decorating this year. The biggest question we had? “Do they look like LED lights?” You know, a little more “bright white” than “chestnuts-by-the-fire romantic.” Like cars with the somewhat-blinding purple LED headlamps or the penlight on your keychain. Good news, ladies and gents, they don’t! And what better word to spread, because LED lights use 90 percent less energy than conventional holiday lights and last up to 200,000 hours. And if you like to really light up during the season, you’ll be happy to know you can even save up to $50 on your energy bills during the holiday season. LED lights seem to be available everywhere, including drug stores and major retailers.  (LED lights have come a long way since this was written in 2010)

avoid anaphylaxis.

If you find yourself sending gifts to loved ones in the mail, you’ve inevitably found yourself staring into the cold, dead eyes of the poly-styrene packing peanut. If you’re allergic to peanuts like we are, why not try making your own packing material? Remove the paper from your recycling bin and throw it through a shredder (one of uses the shredder at her office, ahem!). The shredded paper can be stored in a bag and saved for stuffing packages for extra cushion. This free alternative to plastic packing products covers two of the three’s (reduce and reuse). Aren’t you sexy?

trip out.

This holiday, if you’re hosting guests or cooking a big meal, plan your shopping trips ahead of time. Try making a list, checking it twice, and figuring out where to go with the least impacting route in your car (think less miles/kilometers!) before you even leave the house. Want to double your fun? Bring another hosting friend along and split the gas cost! You might even be able to swap some recipe tips. If you forget an item, ask an arriving guest to do a quick stop to pick it up on the way.

shop with reusable bags.

Remember to carry reusable bags everywhere you shop.  I've gotten good about carrying them to the grocery store but often forget when I go to other places.  Many stores have started giving credit when you use a reusable bag. 

seasons greenings.

Has your first holiday card arrived in the mail? It’s great that friends and family are thinking of you, but it’s not so great that they aren’t thinking of those poor trees! Turn your loved ones into unknowing environmentalists by reusing the season’s greetings. Most people write on the inner right of a card, so cut at the fold and voila! You have a seasonal postcard.

burn beeswax candles.

Burning candles during the holidays is a beautiful way to celebrate.  Instead of traditional petroleum-based candles, purchase candles made of biodegradable and renewable materials such as soy or beeswax. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Eco-White Holiday

An Eco-White Holiday

posted by Ronnie Citron-Fink Dec 7, 2008

Has global warming put the kibosh on the predictability of a blanket of white fluff where you live? It’s easy to bring home that snowy feeling this holiday. Start a new tradition and design an enchanted winter white eco-holiday theme this year.
I get nostalgic each year when I unpack the boxes of holiday decorations and linens. It’s kind of like flipping through scrapbooks of my family. There’s the old ornaments from my husband’s Christmases past that have been passed down from generation to generation. There are all the new traditions we created together as a family, like the homemade candles my children made and decorated when they were young. Even pets long gone are represented in photos and ornaments. Each year we add to these rich traditions.
This year I’m pulling out of the boxes everything white. Why white? Beyond the snowy obvious, white decorating is an eco-alternative color to all that red and green. Buying or creating white decorations are cheaper because of the generic qualities of being able to use and reuse the decorations throughout the winter. Organic undyed table linens tend to be less toxic and less processed because the organic fibers are free of chemical dyes and pesticides, making them a much healthier alternative.
In my home, I tend to keep the overload of holiday decorating to a minimum, but I love a festive table that uses sustainable products without sacrificing style. I approach interior design projects like home fashion. You “dress up” for holiday parties and you “dress up” your home to in a similar festive manner.
Consider giving red and green a rest this year. Here’s some ideas to play “dress up” with and create a rustic, eco-chic white holiday table:
1. Try a white organic hemp tablecloth, napkins, placemats or table runner.
2. With a table full of kids (or children at heart), you might want to ditch the fancy white linen and cover your table with white recyclable craft paper. Let your artists decorate a winter white theme with beeswax crayons.
3. I like to use real silverware, but bamboo flatware is renewable, reusable and it has a nice natural look.
4. White LED tealights in white glass candle holders, flameless candles and solar lights illuminate a holiday table nicely, as do white beeswax candles.
5. Organic white flowers are beautiful. The even greener alternative would be to get paperwhite narcissus bulbs and plant them if the ground isn’t frozen.
6. The greenest of all decorations, and the perfect holiday table accents can come from nature. Embellish fallen branches by decorating them with glistening glass droplets rescued from old chandeliers found in second-hand stores. This adds elegance to a rustic look table.
7. Recycled glass icicle ornaments hung from your dining room light bring winter to your table.
8. Try natural balsam garlands draped with tiny LED white lights or solar Christmas tree lights.
9. Shopping for a new table and recycling the old one? Going all out eco-white? Here’s a white contemporary dining table constructed of renewable and sustainable grass and wheat boards made with non-toxic adhesives and wood finishes.
10. The holidays are about peace on Earth. Pure white origami peace doves make beautiful table decorations and are easy to create. You can find Peace dove ornaments from fair trade sources.
The holidays! They’re here! I’m dreaming of a white …
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/an-eco-white-holiday.html

 

 

 

 
 

 

‘No Christmas Tree in the White House’

Theodore Roosevelt didn't want to deplete forests for the holiday. His children had other ideas.

 

A Teddy Roosevelt Christmas-tree ornament at the White House in 2008. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

 

By Thomas V. DiBacco

Dec. 9, 2015

 

Theodore Roosevelt's commitment to conservation is well known. Less well known was the 26th president's ill-fated attempt to ban Christmas trees at the White House. Why? So many trees were cut down for the holidays, he believed, that it was contributing to deforestation—and he wanted to set an example for the country.

 

Franklin Pierce decorated the first Christmas tree on the White House lawn in 1853; Benjamin Harrison brought a tree inside the White House in 1889, lighted by candles, to the marvel of his grandchildren. Six years later Grover Cleveland, who had two young daughters, decorated the tree with electric lights.

 

TR's Grinch-like practice began in 1902. As the Sun newspaper in New York City reported, the president and family would celebrate the holiday by exchanging gifts, "but there will be no Christmas tree in the White House."

Yet the two youngest of the Roosevelts' six children, Archibald, age 8, and Quentin, age 5, were not to be denied. With the covert help of White House staff, they cut a small fir tree from the grounds, hid it away and wired it with lights.

 

Roosevelt recounted what happened on Christmas morning in a letter to a friend the next day. There "was a surprise for me, also for their good mother, for Archie had a little Christmas tree of his own which he had rigged up with the help of one of the carpenters in a big closet; and we all had to look at the tree and each of us got a present off of it. There was also one present each for Jack the dog, Tom Quartz the kitten, and Algonquin the pony, whom Archie would no more think of neglecting than I would neglect his brothers and sisters. Then all the children came into our bed and there they opened their stockings."

 

The president was in for another surprise. He asked noted conservationist Gifford Pinchot, who would later serve as his first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, to lecture the children on the necessity of banning Christmas trees. But Pinchot admitted it was good to cut down trees periodically to get more sunlight for other trees to grow.

 

Well, you know how this story had to end. While there was still no White House Christmas tree in 1905, the Sun noted that the president's younger children would be permitted, as in the previous few years, to visit the tree-bedecked home of their cousin, Sheffield Cowles, on N Street on Christmas afternoon.

 

And by 1906, the ban was gone. "The children made the White House ring with merriment last night," the Washington Herald recounted on Christmas Day. "There is to be a large tree."

 

Mr. DiBacco is professor emeritus at American University in Washington, D.C.

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/no-christmas-tree-in-the-white-house-1449705242

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Turn Thrift Store Finds into Christmas Gifts: Thrift Store Christmas Gift Ideas

 

Thrift shopping is a great way to save money year-round. You can get children’s clothing cheaply, housewares, and even furniture. Just about anything you need for your home (besides food of course) can be bought at the thrift store. Did you ever consider doing your Christmas shopping there, though? For most people, giving used gifts is a social no-no; however, if you are crafty or just know where to look, you can get incredible thrift store gifts! Here is your guide to turning thrift store finds into Christmas Gifts

Thrift Store Christmas Gift Ideas

Mason Jars- There really are so many things you can do with these thrift shop staples. You can make cookie and brownie mix in jars and tie them with a pretty ribbon and label. You could make some homemade sugar scrubs and place them in the jars as well. Here are 15 Gift in Jar Ideas.

Old Sweaters- I have seen so many tutorials on how to use old sweaters and turn them into anything from mittens to hats. Many of these projects require very little sewing skill and they are so unique and fun! Teens might enjoy getting a new pair of boot liners like these from Scissortail Silk. Old sweaters can also be stuffed and sewn into pet beds for a great gift for our furry friends. Here are more ways to reuse old sweaters.

Clay pots- Many thrift stores have clay or plastic pots from other people’s gardening time. Clean these up, paint them and plant a houseplant in them for a truly wonderful and long living gift.

Tea cups and sugar bowls- One great use for old tea cups, especially the elegant vintage kind, is to make candles out of them. These make awesome gifts that are truly unique. Check out my tutorial on making Tea Cup Candles for inspiration. Here are directions for making Sugar Bowl Candle.

Old Vintage T-shirts- Make a quilt with them. One of my good friends has a quilt made from old T-shirts from her collage days and still loves it. You can also use them to make infinity scarves.

Old Jeans- High-waisted jeans are coming back into style and luckily the thrift store usually has plenty of them. You can create an awesome gift for a teen by covering the pockets with a fabric scrap with a cool design (think leopard print or something similar). Old jeans are also useful for making many other crafts such as purses, wallets and so on.

Framed prints- These are a thrift store lover’s favorite find. You never know what you will get when you hunt through the frames and paintings section. You can turn these into framed chalkboards, paint them white and decoupage family photos onto one.

Trays- Thrift stores are full of all kinds of trays and platters. These can be made into great things such as chalkboards, jewelry plates for rings and bangles and even bird feeders. Just about anyone on your list can be made something from a tray or platter.

What are some of your favorite ways to use thrift store finds and create new things with them? Have you ever given a re-purposed thrift store find as a gift? I would love to hear your creative ideas!

 

http://premeditatedleftovers.com/naturally-frugal-living/thrift-store-christmas-gift-ideas/

 

 

 

 

Friday Funny

 

The Other Coast by Adrian Raeside

 

http://www.gocomics.com/theothercoast/2014/12/22#mutable_1244942