Yesterday, we put our Christmas tree away.
Years ago, we had an annual ritual with our young son. We drove to a Christmas tree farm near us and sawed down a small evergreen tree for our small living room. Decorated, it made our lives more beautiful for some three weeks. Then we took it to a local landfill, where it was turned into compost.
For years, we have debated "natural vs. artificial" tree. Both have advantages and disadvantages. With our son, it ended up we had to go artificial due to one of his allergies. We've kept it artificial even after he left the house.
What happens to all those natural trees at the end of the season? Have you wondered the uses they could be put to?
Well, you could make a big cat very happy.
It made me think of Binghamton's own Zoo at Ross Park, the fifth oldest zoo in the United States. It's had some hard times recently, and I have to admit I haven't been there since my son was young. (the zoo is hilly, and steep in spots, and it would not be fun for my arthritic knee.) Yet, there is something about it worth saving. But I digress....
There are other ways for used Christmas trees to have second lives.
Helping to stabilize dunes along the shore.
Savannah, Georgia Bring One for the Chipper
Supplementing habitat for fishes.
Feeding your backyard birds
And, generating electricity.
Do you have a Christmas tree? Natural or artificial? If natural, what do you do with it when the season is over?
Monday, January 6, 2014
7 comments:
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Hehe. Thanks for the link. Your suggestions for using the left-over Christmas trees are good. They still smell wonderful, even when they're dying. This is a great way to give the links to different sites.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I enjoyed your blog post and reading about how big cats love the smell of Christmas trees.
DeleteThis is a very cool story, Alana! Our spent Christmas tree goes out to my chicken yard, where the chooks enjoy it until spring. When the hawks soar overhead, the hens will run to that tree, to hide from the predators.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think, all the years we had chickens, we had an artificial tree. Shame on us!
Delete?? Please provide the rest of the story. Why would a lion want a christmas tree? Does it have a tinsel deficiency?
ReplyDeleteTinsel deficiencies are common among big cats...seriously, they love the smell of the trees! I have a link to a blog post in my article that talks about the zoo and the big cats, but perhaps I hid it a bit too well.So here's a link to a BBC article on this topic: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-25608074
DeleteThat's a really great idea. I hate throwing Christmas trees away! They are beautiful and it seems such a shame.
ReplyDelete