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At Levi Strauss, green trees are brown (photos)

At its San Francisco headquarters, the company offers up a green alternative to live trees--100 percent recycled cardboard trees, entirely produced and manufactured with solar energy. Also: Salvation Army attempts to break the bell-ringing record.

James Martin Managing Editor, Photography
James Martin is the Managing Editor of Photography at CNET. His photos capture technology's impact on society - from the widening wealth gap in San Francisco, to the European refugee crisis and Rwanda's efforts to improve health care. From the technology pioneers of Google and Facebook, photographing Apple's Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai, to the most groundbreaking launches at Apple and NASA, his is a dream job for any documentary photography and journalist with a love for technology. Exhibited widely, syndicated and reprinted thousands of times over the years, James follows the people and places behind the technology changing our world, bringing their stories and ideas to life.
Expertise photojournalism, portrait photography, behind-the-scenes Credentials
  • 2021 Graphis Photography Awards, Gold Award, Journalism, 'The Doorway' Graphis Photography Awards, Silver Award, Portrait, 'Cast of film '1917'' Graphis Photography Awards, Silver Award, Environmental, 'Upper Lola Montez' ND Awards, Architecture, 'Taj Mah
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James Martin
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An employee tags a tree in the Levi Strauss & Co. Holiday Tree Lot where employees can purchase 100% recycled cardboard trees, available in large for $35, and small for $25. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to Friends of the Urban Forest.
A Levi Strauss employee tags a tree in the company's Holiday Tree Lot, where employees can purchase 100 percent recycled cardboard trees, available in large for $35, and small for $25. James Martin/CNET

SAN FRANCISCO--A holiday "tree" lot here at Levi Strauss & Company's headquarters is offering up a green alternative to live trees.

Antlre Creative, a San Francisco-based eco-conscious design company, created 100 percent recycled cardboard trees, which grew into a forest in Levi's buidling lobby (shown above).

The large trees sell for $35, and small ones for $25. Proceeds from the fundraiser go to Friends of the Urban Forest. These "greener" trees are produced and manufactured entirely with solar energy and are inspired by recycling.

Salvation Army bell ringer Captain Butch is posted up outside the Macy's in San Francisco where he also accepts donations via text message and a Square mobile payment device.
Salvation Army bell ringer Captain Butch is posted up outside the Macy's in San Francisco where he also accepts donations via text message and a Square mobile payment device. James Martin/CNET

And while we're in the holiday spirit, here's a shot (above) of Salvation Army bell-ringer Marcelino "Butch" Soriano, standing outside Macy's at Union Square in San Francisco.

Starting at 9 a.m. yesterday, at locations all around the U.S., Soriano and 23 other Salvation Army volunteers starting competing to break the world record for continuous bell ringing for the foundation.

Last year's record was set at 36 hours and some of this year's bell ringers are hoping to surpass 60 straight hours of ringing and collecting donations. The rules stipulate there is no eating, participants must stand the entire time, they must ring the bell the entire time, and can only break to use the bathroom for 10 minutes every four hours.

Started in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign last year raised a record $142 million nationwide. This year, the nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars dropped into the pot are being supplemented by text message donations and the Square credit card reader, which is attached to mobile devices.