Nature to Nourishment Turning Local Trimmings into Wildlife Care
What if your routine yard maintenance could help feed a giraffe?
The City of Rancho Mirage is proud to introduce Nature to Nourishment, an innovative sustainability program that transforms local plant trimmings into a valuable resource for wildlife at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.
Through this unique partnership, eligible tree and plant trimmings, known as browse, are collected and delivered to the Zoo, where they are used to feed animals like giraffes, rhinos, and other herbivores. Instead of sending this organic material to landfills, the City is helping redirect it toward a meaningful, local purpose.
This program is a natural extension of Rancho Mirage’s commitment to sustainability, conservation, and community connection. By rethinking what we typically consider waste, we are creating a closed loop system that benefits both the environment and wildlife right here in the Coachella Valley.
The City has already begun incorporating Nature to Nourishment into its own operations. Eligible trees are being planted at City facilities, including the Rancho Mirage Library, to support long term participation in the program. City landscaping practices are also evolving to ensure that plant materials donated to the Zoo meet safety and quality standards for animal consumption.
But the success of this program does not stop with City efforts. It is an opportunity for the entire community to get involved.
Residents, HOAs, schools, and local landscape professionals are all invited to participate. If you have eligible trees or plants, you can contribute your trimmings to help feed Zoo animals while reducing green waste. Participants simply provide basic information about their plants, including species type and maintenance history, to ensure everything is safe and suitable for the animals.
Nature to Nourishment is more than a program. It is a new way of thinking about sustainability. It connects everyday actions, like trimming a tree, to something bigger supporting wildlife, reducing landfill waste, and strengthening our community’s environmental impact.
Together, Rancho Mirage is proving that even the smallest actions can make a meaningful difference. And in this case, those actions might just help feed a giraffe.
To learn more or sign up to participate,
visit the City’s Sustainability page at ranchomirageca.gov/residents/city_services/sustainability/index.php
or scan the QR code to join us in turning nature into nourishment.
