Sustainable Christmas Tree Tips

The most famous holiday is just around the corner, and all the rage this year is about being eco-friendly. Sustainable Christmas trees are a growing trend as more and more people stop and think about the effects their actions have on the environment. With zero waste solutions everywhere, people are pondering important questions – like how exactly does a real Christmas tree help?

At first glance, cutting down trees looks terrible, but the fact of the matter is that Christmas trees aren’t just taken out of the forest. Tree farms produce them in sustainable ways, and they provide a lot of benefits over fake trees. Keep reading to find out more about the difference between natural and artificial Christmas trees and how to make your holidays more sustainable.

Why artificial Christmas trees are harmful to the environment

One of the most common questions is whether you should opt for a real or an artificial Christmas tree during the holiday season. Both can do the same thing – lighten up the family mood, house gifts underneath and contribute to the overall Christmas spirit in the house. However, there are some critical differences between the two options. Both financially and ecologically, choosing one over the other has its pros and cons.

Artificial Christmas trees are bad for the environment – they are not recyclable or biodegradable. Since most fake trees are manufactured in China and shipped worldwide, their production and distribution contribute to the overall carbon footprint. On top of that, they are a potential fire hazard caused by malfunctioning electric lights. Not a problem you’d have with a real tree.

From a financial standpoint, a fake Christmas tree looks like a good idea – you only need to buy it once, and you’ll be set for years to come. However, the amount of money you’ll save from Christmas trees every year isn’t good enough to excuse contributing to the global climate crisis. So, going sustainable is usually the best thing you can do for the environment.

Why real Christmas trees are better

Actual evergreen trees are a great idea, even though you must purchase one every year. It’s not even that expensive – you can afford a real Christmas tree by saving just $2 per week throughout the year – pretty doable, right? Once you get one, you can enjoy an authentic experience: it smells, feels and looks way better than any fake tree would.

Real trees also benefit the environment significantly. They are mainly grown on tree farms. That means real trees don’t require any carbon emissions during production. Since they’re primarily distributed locally, carbon emissions from transporting them are also low.

Some landscape and gardening experts argue that tree farms drain the soil and reduce its long-lasting nutrient capacity. For the most part, this is true, but real trees consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen in the atmosphere as they grow. That makes them better than fake trees, which have absolutely no environmental benefit. In addition, some farms are located on land that contains soil that isn’t suitable for growing any other crops. Tree farms can also provide shelter for animals and help with employment. Another advantage is that real trees are recyclable – farmers can:

Turn them into lumber and use them for heating.

Grind them into mulch.

Turn them into compost to help sustain the soil they use and its nutrients.

If all the environmental benefits aren’t enough to change your mind, here’s a list of personal benefits for using real Christmas trees:

Picking out a tree is an excellent excuse to take a day off work and spend some quality time with your family.

Your home gets a stylish air purifier with a bonus – the fresh smell of pine needles.

It feels way more fabulous than pulling an old plastic tree out of a cardboard box in your basement/attic.

You don’t have to worry about the three catching fire due to malfunctioning Christmas lights because the timber would still be moist.

Zero Waste Christmas Decoration Ideas

Christmas isn’t about simply putting up a tree – you have to decorate it, too! And if you’re already going for a sustainable tree option, why should the decorations be any different? Avoid contributing to the climate crisis by supporting the plastic industry and craft your own decorations out of any materials you don’t need at home. Common household materials which you can turn into Christmas decorations are:

Tin cans – they make excellent candle holders!

Old paper – books, newspapers, magazines etc.

Clothing – items that are too tattered or torn to fix.

Old CDs or DVDs – their reflective bottom makes for a flashy decoration!

Food leftovers – you can turn popcorn, jelly beans, chocolate candy, berries, and many other foods into an eco-friendly garland for your Christmas tree!

Of course, the list doesn’t end here. As far as our imagination is concerned, you can turn almost everything into a fashionable tree decoration. Below you will find an idea for each item on the list above. Feel free to experiment with other materials, too.

Hanging Tin Can-dles

What you need:

Tuna cans
Old paper
Coloured pencils/markers
Scissors
Glue
Thread

How to craft:

Take your pencils/markers and colour the paper in whatever fashion you’d like your candle holders to be.
Cut coloured paper strips and circles for your tuna cans’ sides and bottoms.
Glue the paper strips and circles to the cans.
Cut off any excess paper – it shouldn’t go over the can’s top edge.
Take your thread and tie it around the cans.
Hang the cans sideways with the knot side on top, and you’re all set! Time to put your candles in!

Recycled Fabric Holiday Wreath

What you need:

Old Fabrics – t-shirts, jumpers, pants, table mats – you name it! Any old piece of fabric can work!
Wire clothes hangers
Large paper clips
A pair of scissors – fabric shears work better, but they’re not common in every household.

How to craft:

Take your wire clothes hangers and twist them to resemble round shapes.
Sort the fabrics by patterns.
Cut your materials into strips about 10cm in length and 2cm in width.
Take your large paper clips and use them to attach the now-round clothes hangers to each other. Use at least four to make sure the structure is secure.
Tie your paper strips around the wire hangers with simple ribbon knots.
Keep going until you cover the entire length of the wreath.
You’re done! You can diversify your wreath with other decorations you have. Just be careful about how much total weight you end up putting on it.

Paper Baubles

What you need:

Old paper
A glass.
Coloured pencils/markers
Scissors
Glue or double-sided tape
Thin wire-thin paper clips work well.

How to craft:

Use pencils or markers to colour the paper in whatever fashion you’d like the baubles to be.
Take the glass and a black pencil and draw 12 circles to cut out.
Once you cut out the circles, fold them in half and stack them together.
Wrap the stack around the middle with your thin wire.
Add a small dot of glue about a third of the way from the bottom on the side of the first paper circle.
Fold the opposite-facing flap and press it to glue the sides together.
On the next circle “page”, add another glue dot a third of the way, but from the top.
Keep glueing flaps with dots on alternating top and bottom sides until you glue all the circles together.
Once you finish, the bauble is ready! Add a ribbon, thread, string or whatever else you decide and hang it on your tree!

Reused CD Christmas Baubles

What you need:

Old CDs or DVDs
Scissors
Used plastic bottles
Colourful paint or markers
Glue

How to craft:

Take your used plastic bottles, rinse them out well and remove any plastic wrappings.
Cut the bottles’ tops and bottoms for some fun shapes.
Colour the cut bottle pieces in whatever fashion you’d like.
Cut up your old CDs or DVDs into small pieces.
Glue the pieces to the bottle tops and bottoms.
You can use a specific pattern or place the pieces randomly. Let your creative side decide!
Enjoy your flashy Christmas baubles!

Popcorn Garland

What you need:

Popcorn
Sewing needle
Thick sewing thread

How to craft:

Make some popcorn.
Enjoy eating some of it and leave the leftovers in a bowl for a day or two.
Once the popcorn becomes softer, take your needle and thread and start stringing.
Push the needle through the centre of each popcorn and carefully pull it through the other side.
Keep stringing until you reach your desired length.
Tie knots at both ends of the garland to keep the popcorn from coming off.

What to do with your real tree after the holidays?

If you got a real tree for Christmas, then you probably need to get it out of the living room once the holidays are over. There are more than a few environmentally friendly ways to do that. Depending on how much effort you want to put into helping Mother Nature, you can choose to recycle or reuse your tree by following one of the methods below.

Mulching

Mulch is excellent for both plant insulation and pest control. You can chop the tree’s trunk into small wood chips and spread them around your garden to help your plants retain moisture, control weeds and possibly reduce the risks of pest infestation. Also, you can break apart the tree’s branches with the needles still on them and use them as mulch for flower beds.

Fish feeding

When a tree is submerged in a freshwater lake or river, it provides breeding grounds for algae – a favourite dish for fish. Over time, the tree will also help prevent the lake’s ecosystem from deteriorating. However, you should check with your local authorities about suitable locations for your tree’s diving hobbies.

Bird sheltering

A used Christmas tree can provide an excellent shelter for most birds. You can put the tree up in your backyard and hang some bird feeders on it or craft a small birdhouse. You can also pick some smaller branches and twist them into little nests.

Composting

Decayed organic matter can help any type of soil. By adding compost to your garden, you help your soil with:

Important nutrients
Better water retention qualities
Adjusting the pH levels.
Providing better soil aeration

Replanting

If you get a real Christmas tree with its roots still intact (a potted tree), you can plant it in your garden after the holidays are over. What better way to improve the natural look of your yard? In case you need help doing that, Fantastic Gardeners are just a phone call away!

Sustainable Christmas tree alternatives

Nobody ever said you have to go for an actual evergreen tree, right? If you’re a DIY enthusiast, there are many options for you. Let your creative side take over and craft yourself an abstract tree with the most random objects that you can use. Whether it’s a standing construction, or it hangs from the ceiling, or maybe it’s just an arrangement on the wall – it’s up to you and your imagination. In case you’re not sure what to use, or you need help with out-of-the-box thinking, here are a few DIY alternative Christmas tree ideas:

Wall art – check around your home for whatever small trinkets or other objects you can find and arrange them in the shape of a tree on the wall. The good idea is to use double-sided tape to stick them to the walls without causing any damage. You can get creative with the colours and make it a rainbow or sunset tree. At the end of the day, as long as you leave about 30cm from the tree’s lowest point to the floor – there should be enough space for gifts.

Books – if you’re an avid reader, you probably have tens or hundreds of books at home. Simply put a few books in a circle on the floor and then put some more in a smaller circle on top. Keep piling books and reducing the width of each circle until your “book tree” reaches the height you desire. You can even try to arrange a book-amyd (a book pyramid)! To take it a step further – you can put a paper star on top and add LED lights around it!

Houseplants, reporting for duty! – This one is for plant-lovers who enjoy customising their pots. Put the pot with your favourite plant in the middle of the room and show some love. Hang the decorations you crafted around the pot and wrap your LED lights for a magical home-grown Christmas tree! Your Christmas tree doesn’t need to be a tree – instead, it could be a large flower or a succulent.

Hanging tree – take some sewing thread and put it through your sustainable decorations to form a few circles with varying diameters. Arrange them in a descending pattern with the smallest ring on top and use more sewing thread to attach them at about 10-15cm below each other. Once you’re done, put your “Hanging Christmas Tree”.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are scores of different ways to make your Christmas holidays more sustainable. Choose to help the environment by picking a good tree or crafting your own zero waste decorations or abstract Christmas tree. Even one of these things is better than doing nothing to reduce your home’s carbon footprint. Choosing sustainable solutions simply feels better, not just for you but for the environment around you, too.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.