Meteorologist Jackie Meretsky

What's at least 65 feet tall (but usually much taller), travels to New York with a police escort and is part of a 79 year old tradition?

The worlds oldest and tallest criminal?
An antique crane rumored to be worth millions?
The Eiffel tower's first trip abroad?

Think Green!

Of course I'm talking about one of the most famous trees in the world: the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree! On November 28, 2007, millions of tourists and native New Yorkers will come to Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan to witness an extravaganza of height, beauty and light. It is literally a crowd stopper. The tree lighting ceremony is synonymous with the start of the holiday season and it shines brightly until after the new year.

SLIDESHOW: Rockefeller Tree En Route!

This year's tree is cut and on it's way to Rockefeller Center

The history of the tree is almost as long as the 5 miles of lights (roughly 30,000 individual bulbs) that adorn it. The first tree was erected during the Great Depression in 1931 when Rockefeller Center was still a construction site. In 1933, 700 lights were added to the tree and in 1941 the Bronx Zoo donated two live reindeer to take part in the lighting ceremony. By 1964, the ceremony became a major televised event broadcast each year with a celebrity host.

MORE: WNBC's Tree Lighting Coverage

During the 1970s, the environment took center stage and became a national issue garnering major media attention. As the environmental message spread across the country, the winds of change ushered in a new fate for the tree and since 1971, it has been recycled into mulch. In fact, approximately 3 tons of mulch are donated each year to the Boy Scouts of America and other horticultural causes. The largest portion of the trunk is donated to the U.S. Equestrian team to use as an obstacle jump.

Last year's tree was a sight to behold

RELATED: Remember To Recycle Your Tree!

If you are an arborist, or just happen to have an exceptionally tall tree in your front or back yard, you just might be scouted by the manager of Rockefeller Center gardens who drives across many back roads all across the Northeast looking for that one in a million tree. Its just one more branch in the Green is Universal phenomenon.