5 Ways To Green Your Christmas Tree
For millions of people, the Christmas tree is an iconic image of the holidays. The smell of pine, the sight of twinkling lights and the colorful packages which lie at its base all conjure up images of warm memories from Christmases past. But unlike the days of yore, today’s generations have many options to consider for their holiday tree. This year, make your Christmas tree eco-friendly with five simple tips from the elves at Earth911:
1. Replant or Donate
Want to enjoy the smell and look of a real pine tree without the guilt? This year, purchase a potted living tree from your local nursery that can be replanted after the holidays (climate allowing). A single tree can absorb more than one ton of CO2 over its lifetime. Imagine how much CO2 could be absorbed if we all replanted our trees!
Live in an apartment or don’t have a yard to replant a tree? Consider donating your potted tree to your local parks department, church, school or friend.
For years, many considered the purchase of an artificial tree to be the environmentally friendly choice. After all, it meant you wouldn’t be responsible for cutting down a tree and you can reuse it year after year. In reality, artificial trees are made from mainly non-renewable plastics, often containing PVC, a petroleum derived plastic. They are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable, meaning their eventual disposal has a significant negative impact to the environment.
Want to upgrade to a living Christmas tree? Donate your old artificial tree to Goodwill or to a local community group.
2. Let There Be LED Light
Make the switch from regular incandescent lights to LED (light emitting diode) lights this season and watch your energy bill and carbon footprint drop. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, ten incandescent Christmas light strands, running all night, produce 300 pounds of CO2, versus 30 pounds with LED lights.
If every American home were to switch to LED holiday lights, we could save $160 million in energy costs this season alone. Some famous Christmas trees have already made the switch like the Christmas trees displayed at Rockefeller Plaza and on Capitol Hill, using 90 percent less energy than they had previously.
Convinced you’ll make the switch? Don’t throw away those old incandescent light strands- recycle them! Holidayleds.com will recycle your incandescent lights for you. Mail them in and the company recycles the lights and the box they were shipped in, and they will send you a coupon for 15 percent off LED light purchases through their site. You can save even more and use those new LED lights on a timer!
3. Make or Buy Recycled Ornaments
Until the mid-19th century, Christmas ornaments were entirely handmade. Families would get together and make ornaments from pine cones, pieces of cloth, wood carvings, fruit and berries. Today, most ornaments are made of plastic or glass and purchased from a retailer.
Try reconnecting with the holiday spirit of Christmases past and make ornaments out of recycled materials. Pine cones, gingerbread cookies cut into shapes, paper chains made of used paper or junk mail, painted old light bulbs or ribbons made from wrapping material all make great recycled Christmas ornaments.
Not the creative type? Many online retailers offer ornaments made of recycled materials for sale.
4. Alternative Christmas Tree
There are some fun alternative options out there for celebrating the holidays with a Christmas tree this year. One of our favorite options is renting a Christmas tree. The Living Christmas Tree Company in Portland, Ore., will deliver you a living Christmas tree, then return and pick up the tree after Christmas and deliver them to local parks, schools and other groups who pay $10 to have the trees planted on their property. It is a great way to enjoy the look and pine scent of a real tree, at the same time ensuring it is replanted after use. And the hard work is done for you!
Or, try adopting a Christmas tree this year. Adopt a Christmas Tree in San Diego, Calif., will deliver a potted living tree to you via singing elves! They set up the tree for you, then pick it up and replant the tree in areas devastated by California fires.
5. Recycle Your Tree With Earth911
Real Christmas trees can be recycled in a variety of ways. They can be turned into mulch and used in gardening and landscaping or chipped and used on hiking trails, paths and walkways. Christmas trees have also been used for erosion control, soil stabilization and shoreline maintenance. When used in this manner, the trees not only stabilize the soil, but also provide habitats for fish, birds, amphibians and mammals.
Use Earth911 to locate your nearest Christmas tree recycling program. In some areas, community groups, like the Boy Scouts, will come pick up the trees curbside for a small donation and take them to the nearest recycling center for you.
Curby
posted on December 1st, 2008 at 11:30 am
Great site and lovely article, Lori. We want to reblog this to our site and link it back you. Thanks
Chris Morin
posted on December 1st, 2008 at 11:31 am
Luckily my community offers Christmas Tree Recycling through the Town and has done so for years. Just drop off your tree and they’ll turn it into mulch which they then turn around and use right in our town. I’d love to have a living christmas tree however in Colorado it just doesn’t work too well. I’ve tried it several times and haven’t ever been successful in having them live until spring. :(
A Real Green Christmas Tree | Got2BeGreen
posted on December 2nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
[...] Source Previous:« “Green” Ratings for Electronics Next: Filed under Greening Your Home on December 2, 2008 – [...]
chavy
posted on December 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
excellent! thanks for sharing.
there are many useful tips to save home energy and gas at http://www.waystosaveenergy.net.
hope it helps.
cheers~ :)
Have a very green holiday season! | On the go with Vivian
posted on December 5th, 2008 at 10:59 am
[...] 5 tips to make your Xmas tree eco-friendly [...]
Jeanette McDermott
posted on December 5th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Cool, very cool article! I’m gonna hit the highlights and post with a backlink to you from ecopaparazzi — http://ecopaparazzi.ning.com.
I’m wild about “Adopt a Christmas Tree” and am going to suggest that my San Diego residing nephew go this route.
Loving all things eco,
Jeanette
Green Your Ride » A Real Green Christmas Tree
posted on December 9th, 2008 at 4:54 am
[...] Source [...]
Gabi
posted on December 10th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
This website is great! Everyone should Green Their Holidays.
Reducing
Reusing
And
Recycling,
Gabi
mcgees.org » Blog Archive » It’s so easy being green
posted on December 24th, 2008 at 1:02 am
[...] certainly too late for this year, but: Green Your Christmas Tree. The site, Earth911, is well-worth bookmarking. Their search for local recycling [...]
Marzena Golonka
posted on December 26th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Actually if you buy a planted tree and its in your house for more than a week it will begin to die. The heat is not a natural climate for these trees. My sister did that and replanted her tree and still It’s ailing. Most florists will confirm this. I bought a tree this year made of cut branches. No tree died. No major cleanup. No having to hall this heavy creature. And it was beautiful. It’s standing close to 3 ft, decorated with roses and ribbon. Stunning!ear made of cut branches. No tree died. No majore cleanup. No having to haull this heavy creature. And it was beatifull. It’s standing close to 3 ft, decorated with roses and ribone. Stunning!
ben balanag
posted on December 27th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
One other suggestion for a non traditional “live” christmas tree, buy an italian cyprus tree! The reason I’m suggestion people this try of alternative christmas tree is because it is very easy to shape into the idealized xmas tree cone shape and is very easy to care for in a pot.
Over all the italian cyprus in a 10 gal pot from home depot was only 20 bucks and stands just over 5 and a half feet tall, so its pretty manageable for one person to setup and take down. BTW other than watering it every few weeks and trimming it once a year, all I do in haul in indoors for the christmas season and decorate it with a strand of 150 LED “white” lights (which I reuse every year). Total setup and takedown time is less than 10 minutes, which makes this live tree alternative pretty cost and time effective as well as environmentally friendly!
The 5min Blog » Blog Archive » Where Do All the Xmas Trees Go?
posted on January 13th, 2009 at 9:17 am
[...] just like a middle-aged ballerina, your Xmas tree should consider a second career. It can be recycled: turned into mulch and used in gardening or chipped and used for hiking trails and paths. [...]
Chris
posted on January 21st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
It’s a fantastic idea to get a live tree, but do NOT use the “Adopt a Christmas Tree” company in San Diego! After paying 4x the market price for my tree, it was sparce, and so crooked that it couldn’t stand up on its own. We had to prop it up so that it would stay standing.
I was willing to let that go, because they’re supposed to come pick up the tree, and plant it as part of their service. They never came to pick up the tree. I contacted them, and they said that they sent an e-mail to their customers. They have my phone number on record, but they never called me, they chose to send e-mail, which is notoriously unreliable. I exchanged several e-mails with the individual that’s supposedly in charge of the operation, and they have not picked up the tree after 2 weeks of promises like, “we’ll try to get it today.” I really went over the top with trying to be polite and grateful for their efforts, but I haven’t seen any real effort, except the effort to try to get me to go away.
Now it looks like I’m stuck with a tree that I have no place to plant, as I live in an apartment. PLEASE DO NOT USE ADOPT A CHRISTMAS TREE, use a different service. It’s a great idea, which I encourage, but don’t use this company.
liz
posted on March 23rd, 2009 at 6:22 am
I have never bought a chopped down chrismas tree and in the last seven years I purchased a norfolk pine to decorate during the holidays and then plant it in the yard when done. They are all huge now and everytime I look at the trees good things and good memories are remembered.
Lighted Palm Trees
posted on October 15th, 2009 at 8:13 am
This for the 5 tips for getting my Christmas Tree tobe green.. thanks
Jen
posted on November 9th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I LOVE the idea of renting a tree! Too bad we’re in SF and not SoCal. Maybe the elves will be making their way up here soon?