The St. Louis suburb Webster Groves is probably the closest thing we have to a true college town in the metro area: home to Webster University, the town features lovely old homes on well-kept lots, funky little restaurants and coffee shops, and a really well-educated and progressive population. As such, sustainability has worked its way into the community’s planning and development – Webster (as we locals refer to it) is, for instance, the home of the first house in the US built to Active House standards.
So, I wasn’t at all surprised to see the video above from the local FOX network affiliate on Webster’s use of discarded materials to make outdoor Christmas decorations for the town. Branches, sticks, stumps, and other yard wastes? They make unique, whimsical snowmen (snowpeople?). And glass globes that top street lights for decades? Somebody looked at one and thought “Hmmmm…. Santa!” Apparently, this all came out of the city’s parks department… very nice!
These one-of-a-kind upcycled decorations will be up around Webster Groves throughout the month; I’ll try to get over there at some point to track a few down and get some pictures.
Know of other communities dumpster diving for their holiday or other event decorations? Share their story with us…
Featured image credit: Screen capture from “Webster Groves moving to make Christmas sustainable” video