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Better than letting your Christmas tree end up in the trash: turning it into a snack for goats.
For the fourth year running, the Philly Goat Project is hosting a series of tree-cycle events, where you can bring your tree (decorations removed) to the nonprofit farm in Germantown. It’ll become food for the animals, or turned into wood chips to be used on trails and gardens around Philadelphia, thanks to a partnership with the Streets Department and Philly Parks & Rec.
Douglas firs are apparently a goat favorite, but they’ll eat any kind of evergreen, according to WHYY’s PlanPhilly, devouring the whole thing in about 20 minutes.
The event is being held at Awbury Arboretum, a 56-acre historic landscape in Germantown, from 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 8, and Saturday, Jan. 22. (Some people do keep their tree this long. It’s OK. Goat Project’s got you.)
You don’t need reservations this year, and there are three ways to participate:
- Do the express curbside drop-off-and-donate (at the 6336 Ardleigh St. entrance)
- Take a “G.O.A.T. Safari” and drive through the farm to drop off (enter at 6336 Ardleigh St.)
- Park on Washington Lane and bring your tree in yourself (look for the ambassadors to guide you)
There’s a suggested $20 donation for the service of recycling your Christmas decor, which can be paid in cash, Venmo, Cash APP, PayPay, or check, and it’s tax-deductible.
The farm also has a fire pit, hot cocoa for sale, and a petting area for the goats, so you don’t event have a have tree to visit.
