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Green holiday ideas for an environmentally-friendly Christmas. A reminder to use a real tree to be green & green ideas for Christmas tree decorations.
A Christmas tree is an important part of many families’ holiday traditions. A Christmas tree is a cheerful centerpiece to any room over the holiday season and is a memorable part of the Christmas festivities.
Green Holiday Ideas: How to Have a Green Christmas Tree
Here are some tips for having a beautiful and festive Christmas Tree this holiday season, while still being green.
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Be Green by Buying and Recycling a Real Christmas Tree instead of an Artificial One
Purchasing a real Christmas tree is one of your best ways to be green this holiday season. Although artificial trees are reusable for multiple holidays, they take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill, making them terrible for the environment. Most artificial trees are produced in China and shipped to other countries, having a much larger carbon footprint than a locally purchased real tree. The pollutants used in the production of an artificial tree are also harmful to the environment.
Cutting down coniferous trees for Christmas trees may seem counterintuitive, but a real Christmas tree is infinitely greener for the environment than the artificial version. Commercially and sustainably farmed coniferous trees are specifically grown to be sold as Christmas trees and are replanted every year, to ensure a future profit.
Real trees also produce clean oxygen during their lifetime, again making them more beneficial to the environment than an artificial tree that generates pollution, during their creation and shipping, as well as, afterward in the dump as they leach chemicals and other contaminants into the soil and take centuries to decompose.
Remember, to choose a locally grown tree to reduce the carbon footprint of your purchase and make sure that your tree was grown on a sustainable tree farm.
Also, remember to recycle your Christmas tree. There are many parts of a Christmas tree that can be useful. Recycled Christmas trees can be turned into mulch or even firewood. Many recycling centers accept Christmas trees. Research to find a recycling center in your area and give your Christmas tree new life.
If you already own an artificial tree that you are contemplating getting rid of it, consider donating it to a thrift store or nonprofit organization to give it a new life. Then, make the permanent switch over to a real Christmas tree.
Green Ideas for Decorating Your Christmas Tree
There are a variety of ways to create beautiful and environmentally friendly Christmas tree decorations. Although many store-bought decorations are beautiful, many do have substantial carbon footprints. Made from materials, such as plastic, that can take centuries to decompose and generate pollution during their production and transport from countries such as China, you might consider instead bedecking your tree in more natural ways.
First of all, if you use holiday tree lights, make sure that you are using energy efficient tree lights to reduce the consumption of energy.
You also might consider creating some of your own tasteful holiday decorations. For example, save holiday wrapping paper from a previous year and make a traditional Victorian paper chain to festively wrap around your holiday fir. Be creative. Use old Christmas cards to cut out stars or other holiday shapes and hang them from your Christmas tree using loops of thread.
You also could consider making ornaments from natural and perishable materials. String popcorn on a long chain to wrap around your Christmas tree. You also can make ornaments from pine cones and other festive winter plants such as holly.
Be creative and have fun creating décor for your family’s Christmas tree. Browse crafts books for ideas on various ornaments you can make using natural materials or recyclables found in your own home.
Kids can be especially creative in making Christmas tree ornaments. Gather together some festive looking recyclables or scraps, such as ribbons, scraps of materials, buttons, old Christmas cards, or other materials you may have to lie around the house and have a fun afternoon of creating holiday treasures.
Making your own homemade ornaments from free materials is also a great way to save money this holiday season, as well as, have a creative and fun family holiday activity.
If you do purchase store bought ornaments or candies to bedazzle your tree consider trying to purchase locally made or produced products. Products produced in your state are going to have a much, much smaller carbon footprint than a product shipped from China.
Having an Environmentally-Friendly Christmas Tree is Easy
Having a green Christmas tree is much easier than you think. Just be creative and have fun in decorating your tree. Homemade trees can be just as tasteful and beautiful as trees with purchased ornaments and can have sentimental value in Christmases to come as you look at you or your child’s handmade ornaments. A real Christmas tree with homemade decorations is a great way to be environmentally friendly over the holidays.
