Holiday Tree Recycling: Remove the Lights!

I came across this holiday tree on Henry Street between Love Lane and Clark Street while walking in Brooklyn Heights today.

As usual, NYC's Department of Sanitation has been doing curbside collection and recycling of trees, which began on January 5 and will last through this Friday, January 16. In a statement issued in December, Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty said the following:

"The Department is very pleased to offer this special recycling service. Providing collection and recycling options for residents is environmentally valuable and benefits our neighborhoods. Working in conjunction with the City's Parks & Recreation Department allows residents to take part in the recycling process and permits them to even reuse their composted Christmas trees to fertilize for the spring. Compost is a natural fertilizer and is an excellent soil enrichment that promotes the healthy growth of plants and grass."

The Brooklyn Heights resident who put out this tree had the right idea, but didn't remove the lights! I hope the Department of Sanitation still takes the tree and recycles it.

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Splashing for Global Warming

Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) New York Aquarium Director, Jon Forrest Dohlin (right) made a splash at the annual Coney Island Polar Bear New Year's Day plunge along with Polar Bear member Capri Djatiasmoro (left). Dohlin joined in this fun event to create awareness of global warming and the plight to polar bears in the wild. In the last 50 years, global climate changes have dramatically decreased the sea ice on which polar bears depend. There are currently an estimated 25,000 polar bears in the wild, but their extinction within this century is possible. See polar bears at the world-famous Bronx Zoo or Central Park Zoo and visit www.wcs.org to learn more about what WCS is doing to protect wildlife and wild lands around the globe.

Photo and press release courtesy of the NY Aquarium

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