Sun Lite, Las Vegas Sun, Dec. 29, 2003

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for Dec. 29, 2003 Lisa Ferguson Monday, Dec. 29, 2003 | 9:16 a.m. Tree-ting the environment Time to take care of some last-minute business before 2003 comes to a screeching halt. First up: If you haven't already disassembled that needle-shedding, crispy critter formerly known as the Christmas tree (we know, it just wouldn't be New Year's Eve if you didn't turn the lights on one last time and fret that the parched pine may explode into a fireball at any moment), you will have to soon. This year, rather than cast tired tannenbaums to the curb for garbage collectors to haul to an already overcrowded landfill, the National Christmas Tree Association, which represents more than 4,000 North American tree farmers and retailers, is urging folks to send their formerly live trees back from where they came -- sort of -- by recycling. On its website, www.realchristmastrees.org, the association has teamed with public-service company EARTH 911 to provide a directory of Christmas-tree recycling sites. Type in a ZIP code and find the location nearest you. Drop-off points in Las Vegas, according to the site, include the Desert Demonstration Gardens on West Alta Drive; Sunset Park; Desert Breeze Park; and the Desert Research Institute at East Flamingo Road and Swenson Street. What may become of your tree once it's traveled through the chipper? According to the association, the trunk and branches make great mulch for use in gardens and parks, while some cities use tree bits in building sand- and soil-erosion barriers on beaches and riverbeds. All bottled up Next on the to-do list: Break out the bubbly -- or at least get educated about it so that on Wednesday night your party-hatted, horn-blowing self can sip (responsibly, of course) champagne suitable for ringing in the new year, instead of chugging swill posing as the good stuff. For a Champagne 101 crash course, visit www.champagnehotline.com, the website of the Washington, D.C.-based Office of Champagne USA. The stateside branch of the organization, which represents grape growers and "houses of Champagne" in France, is allowing champagne illiterates to ask experts -- and find answers for -- every conceivable question about the pricey, festive beverage. How are champagne bubbles born? Easy: They're the result of a three-month fermentation process that happens inside the bottle (often referred to by industry insiders as "capturing the sparkle") when carbon dioxide and fermentation lees -- aka yeast cells -- form. Here's a tip: Don't wash champagne glasses in detergent or dry them with dish towels, as both can "impede the formation of bubbles." Instead, rinse the flutes in water and hang them upside-down to air dry. Dogged by resolutions Lastly, for all of the self-loathers and gluttons for punishment out there, it's time to conjure up some sort of New Year's resolution with which to break your spirit in 2004. Instead of promising to spend less and exercise more, pledge to do something worthwhile with someone you love -- like a four-legged friend -- say the people at pet-supply maker The Iams Company. Get yourself and Fido off the couch and train your canine (or feline, as the case may be) to serve in such "animal-assisted activities" as visiting hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities, or vow to raise funds for animal charities next year. At the very least, bring Fluffy along for the ride when donating pet food to area animal shelters. Finally, some resolutions worth sticking with -- and you won't have to abandon doughnuts to achieve them.