Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I can’t think of anything that I love more than the beautiful array of colorful leaves on the trees. But once those leaves fall off, it’s a different story.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoy raking leaves (it’s great exercise)! It’s what happens to those leaves after I rake them up that really puzzles me (or should I say, it leaves me hanging on?). On the one hand, I could bag the leaves up and put them on the side of the road for pick-up – these leaves will head straight to the landfill. Or, I could opt to burn my leaves – this can also be bad for the environment, cause irritation to your respiratory system and even contains cancer-causing agents (thanks for the tip, Nat Geo)! For today’s Green Thought Thursday, I want to share a few different options with you on how to go green during your fall yard clean-up.

• Skip the leaf blower and grab a rake. It’s a pollution-free alternative!
• Rake leaves into a pile and leave them there. The pile will eventually decompose, and you’ll have a nice source of fertilizer.
• Mow your lawn. Sure, you’ll need to use a little gasoline to get the process going, but shredded leaves will decompose quickly and do a nice job of fertilizing and insulating your lawn.
• Collect leaves into compostable bags and take them to your local community yard waste collection center (if you live in Raleigh, check out the City of Raleigh’s Yard Waste Recycling Center on New Hope Road) – they’ll compost the leaves into fertilizer for you!

Does anyone else have any great (and green) ideas on how to get rid of leaves? I’d love to hear your thoughts!