Sustainable NYC

Here are two ways I think NYC can salvage our still somewhat decent air and grab new opportunities.

1. We all love buying our christmas tree from the friendly woman with dreadlocks who lives in her pop-up shop with her dog from the day after Thanksgiving til Christmas Eve. But wouldn't she be horrified to see the pile of post-holiday casualties lying on the sidewalk for the trash pick-up?

I think there must be a great business opportunity and a value associated with the wood and/or the pine from these seasonal disposals.
Efficient: There is a definitive window of time that these trees are available for what could be a great next gig so someone could source their assets in a 2-week window.
Retain Value: most people keep their trees in the stands they come with, filled with water, so they remain somewhat fresh and ready for what's next.
Plus, wouldn't it make you feel better and less likely to leave your tree up into the new year?

2. On an excursion to Fat Cat for some ping pong last week, I approached the bar to order a drink and saw that everyone was carrying away multiple cans of cheap beer when Fat Cat offers so much good beer on tap. Of course they were offering a special on cans. That beer special produced so much waste: both the cans and the time wasted collecting and recycling the cans (if they even do). If bars would limit the special prices to beer on tap, they would produce so much less waste. I realize that the time it takes to pull a can from a fridge is much less labor-intensive than pouring a beer from a tap -- so one could argue that they turn a better profit with the disposable container -- but what about the time it takes to take the trash out and then mop up the trail the garbage leaves behind on its way out the door.