When you think of Christmas, you probably think of exchanging gifts, eating delicious cuisine with your family, and marveling at the beauty of a brilliantly decorated Christmas tree. Many of us have probably already started thinking about which Christmas tree to buy. The most eco-friendly choice is to use a real Christmas tree that has grown in the streets. Most people celebrate Christmas without giving any thought to the toll it takes on the planet's resources.
For instance, whether you opt for a real, artificial, or potted Christmas tree, it still leaves a carbon imprint. What about the ornaments you adorn it with? Indeed, those are not a pure form of existence either.
The holiday season is here, and ready to enter. The celebrations have arrived, and with them, the enthusiastic beginning of celebration preparations. The annual tradition of cutting down millions of trees to use as Christmas decorations results in widespread forest destruction and the release of glasshouse gasses. However, you may do your part to protect the earth by adopting the practice and looking out for options on how to make an eco-friendly Christmas tree.
For environmental reasons, this doesn't mean you have to forego your traditional Christmas centerpiece. Let's look at the environmental implications of several types of sustainable X-mas trees and decorations to see how you can have a gorgeous yet eco-friendly tree in your living room this year. A lovely Christmas tree can be created from recyclable materials such as old newspaper stacks, cardboard, scrap wood, and other household discards while also being kind to the earth. This year, you can celebrate Christmas in a greener way with some of the following options.
Sustainable Christmas Tree Options -
Do you know, In 2021, 20.98 million real Christmas trees were purchased? Some environmentally conscious shoppers believed that purchasing an artificial Christmas tree was a more sustainable choice than cutting down a real tree for the holiday season.
The conventional knowledge of our time maintains that fake trees made with hazardous materials like lead and PVC plastics have a larger carbon footprint than a real tree that has been chopped down. However, In the United States, over 15,000 tree farms cultivate 350 million Christmas trees, providing employment for more than 100,000 people.
On the other hand, buying an apple or a Christmas tree from a farm that practices sustainable agriculture means making decisions along the same lines. When it comes to the impact on sustainable ecosystems, the question of whether or not to use native or non-native species is a significant one for certain people.
Think over the following choices while you figure out what's best for you:
Live Tree
If you want a fresh tree, purchasing a live tree is the most environmentally responsible choice you can make. The majority of live trees will only be able to withstand being brought indoors for 7–10 days before they begin to show signs of distress. After the holidays, planting and caring for your tree involves more expertise and commitment than simply drilling a hole in the ground. Consider whether the location and soil are suitable for the tree you intend to plant.
Plant a tree at home
Planting your Christmas tree between seasons and using it year after year is a terrific alternative. Buying them little means you can see the tree develop each year. Aside from its practical uses, the tree can also serve as a home for several species. Previous studies have shown that seven million Christmas trees are thrown away in January instead of being recycled, so it's important to remember to recycle your tree if you don't want to plant it. Depending on the variety, Christmas trees can take anywhere from three to ten years to mature and be ready for use in holiday celebrations.
Conventional Artificial Trees
Conventional artificial trees can have an environmental impact that is comparable to that of a real Christmas tree if they are utilized for a number of years. However, 90% of typical fake trees are manufactured in China using lead and PVC chemicals, and they do not degrade in landfills. Those trees cannot be recycled.
Reusing and Recycling Christmas Trees
Your Christmas tree can be recycled in a number of ways, and many local companies and towns offer these services. Check with the city or county where you live, or look for recycling options in the vicinity of where you live.
Wooden Trees
Consider wooden trees instead of plastic trees if you're looking for something different to reuse year after year. These are fantastic for decoration, but they also bring a unique touch to your home. There are some fantastic eco-friendly Christmas tree options to buy ahead of the festive season, ranging from little genuine trees to wooden substitutes.
Optional Man-Made Tree Replacement
You can now find some alternatives to traditional Christmas trees on the market that are better for the environment. Cardboard trees, trees made of plywood, and inventive do-it-yourself projects are among the available options. Before you whip out your credit card and buy one of those eco-chic Christmas trees that are now on the market, you might want to think about the carbon footprint.
Get a Tree on Rent
Perhaps you associate the holiday season with the lovely aroma of evergreen trees and garlands. You are not, fortunately, expected to do without it. Today, you can rent a Christmas tree from a growing number of retailers. For example, the business might have thousands of trees in cultivation all year long. When the tree reaches a certain size, it can be rented out. A tree can be "rented" for a few weeks. Experts gently dig it out of the ground, so it doesn't die. The business will replace the tree and take care of it till the next holiday season. For certain companies, you can even select the same tree for each holiday season.
Finding a Way to Get Along
Work that is worth doing includes being cognisant of one's impact on the environment and reducing waste. When one person makes a choice to forego having a Christmas tree and begin a new custom, another person may opt to prepare a holiday dinner using ingredients sourced from farms that practice sustainable agriculture, or they may choose to give a loved one the gift of a Canopy Tree.
Read More - How Businesses Can Improve Their Sustainability Performance With ESG.
Final Thoughts
Let's choose eco-friendly Christmas ornaments, trees, and presents to make this the most environmentally responsible holiday season ever. We can make a big difference by making small adjustments to our behavior and consumption patterns this holiday season and every season to lessen our impact on the planet. Start a new eco-friendly custom with the family this year.
With a presence in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Zurich, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, SG Analytics, a pioneer in Research and Analytics, offers tailor-made services to enterprises worldwide.
A leader in ESG Consulting services, SG Analytics offers sustainability consulting services and research support for informed decision-making to all businesses. Contact us today if you need an efficient ESG integration and management solution provider to boost your ESG performance and ranking.
