Ok let’s get one thing straight: I LOVE everything about Christmas. I love the preparation, the time spent looking for the perfect Christmas gifts for my loved ones, the getting of the Christmas tree, decorating the Christmas tree, … and everything else.
So when I found out that every year we cut down around 60 MILLION pine trees (in Europe only) and around Approximately 25 to 30 million (in North America), just to use for a couple of weeks, decorate them for merely our own pleasure and then burned them down or even worse… trash them, I was dying a little bit inside because I would have to find an alternative to this awesome tradition that I love so much.
On the other hand… You have the plastic one as an option… Which I am obviously not considering either, well because … plastic.
The internet does a great job of giving you the pros and cons of fake tree versus real tree so I will quickly recap it here below:
Real Christmas Trees
Pros
The smell of a real tree
Picking out a real tree is an experience for the family
1 acre of Christmas trees provides enough oxygen for 18 people every day (until we cut it down of course)
Christmas trees are able to grow on soil that is unfit for other crops
Only 1/4 of an ounce of pesticides are used on a non-organic tree during its lifetime
At tree farms, when a tree is cut down, it is usually replaced with another
Cons
You’re killing a tree for your own short lived pleasure
Needles can cause a mess
Trees can carry allergens Use of pesticides at farms that are not organic
Depending on where you live, trees may be transported for hundreds of miles
They will be trashed after use
You can’t replant them unless you give them proper care (yes even with the roots)
Artificial Trees
Pros
Can save you money over time
Last an average of 7-9 years
Watering is not necessary and no needle mess
Some are easy to set up
Cons
You’re killing a tree for your own short lived pleasure
Needles can cause a mess
Trees can carry allergens Use of pesticides at farms that are not organic
Depending on where you live, trees may be transported for hundreds of miles
They will be trashed after use
You can’t replant them unless you give them proper care (yes even with the roots)
They are made with harmful chemicals including metal and polyvinyl chloride (PVC),
After disposing an artificial tree, it will lay in landfills for centuries
So if neither a real tree or a plastic one is an option, then what are the options out there?
Large Green Potted Plant (I think I will go with this one)
Does a christmas tree really have to be a pine tree? Why not take the biggest plant in your home and add the lights and decoration to it?
A ladder tree
The wall tree (we’ve seen this one before, haven’t we?)
The wooden tree
For the minimalists out there
For the minimalist #2
The pillow tree (can I get this is larger size, please?)
I mean … how can I not share this…?
My favourite of all times (not available for all demographics obviously)
I hope this gave you some inspiration for the upcoming holidays :)
Please let’s try to keep the trees in the soil, where they belong… not in a pot in our home dying and then trashed.
When uploading your own Zero Waste Christmas Tree on Instagram or Facebook, tag #ZWSlovestrees and we’ll share your tree with everyone!
