Now that Christmas is over, a way to give back to our community has returned. Recycling your old Christmas tree could bring life to open spaces all across our valley, so before you toss your tree in the trash, a more environmentally friendly way is available.

The smell of fresh pine may be a delight to wake up to on Christmas morning. But as the crisp smell fades and Las Vegas creeps up on the new year, Las Vegas’ sustainability groups don’t want Christmas trees anywhere near landfills.

Southern Nevada residents are encouraged to recycle their Christmas trees after the holiday season, contributing to a sustainable community effort that has been ongoing for nearly 30 years.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, the EPA estimates that waste in the U.S. increases by more than 25%, or by about 1 million tons. That’s 2 billion pounds of garbage.

UNLV is taking action on the environment with the launch of Rebel CAP— a comprehensive climate action plan for the campus - and it contains over 60 sustainability goals.

UNLV became the first school in the Nevada System of Higher Education to launch a plan to address climate change, unveiling it at a kickoff event on Friday afternoon. Known as the Rebel Climate Action Plan (CAP), the document is a roadmap for how the school will meet its goal of slashing its greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2030 and becoming net zero by the university’s 100th birthday in 2057. Net zero refers to a state where the carbon dioxide UNLV is putting into the atmosphere is offset with the amount removed, thus not contributing to warming.