Now this is environmentally friendly.

Animals in various zoos in Germany got to eat used Christmas trees as part of a New Year's effort to eliminate waste. Trees by the thousands are set aside or dumped by people who no longer want them. The zoos, however, feed the trees to some of their animals.

Camels, deer, and sheep joined the elephants in their New Year's diet. The stomachs and digestive systems of those animals are strong enough to take the trees, zoo officials said. In fact, the bark and tree oil are particularly good for the animals.