Decorating A More Sustainable Tree

Date: November 26, 2007 | Category: Holiday & Gift, Lifestyle

Decorating a Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush can be one of the most enjoyable things about the holidays. Isn’t it ironic that a tree, the emblem of sustainability, can actually a major polluter (think trucks and incinerators) and contributor to the massive amounts of waste that jam our landfills this time of year? And I wouldn’t say the answer to this conundrum is to buy a fake tree, as they’re usually made from our caricinogenic, endocirne-disrupting foe, PVC. That said, if you plan to use it year after year… after year, the benefits of conservation might outweigh the cons. Your best option is to find a local, organic, family-run tree farm: you can get a potted tree that you can use year after year. You’ll be surprised how resilient these perrenials can be. Simply move it into your backyard and come December, slide it inside for the festivities. Or, if you don’t want to go the planted route, cutting down a tree isn’t as uneco as one might expect. In fact, as soon as you chop, the farm will plant two or three seedlings in its place, reigniting the cycle. As the tree matures, usually 5-7 years, it provides habitat for wildlife and oxygenates the air. The most important part then becomes the disposal of the tree. So what should you do? Recycle of course. Trees can be ground up into wood chips, which can be used to mulch gardens or parks or prevent erosion at a local watershed. You can go to the Earth911 website, type in your zip code and find the nearest place that’ll put your Christmas cheer to work. If you’re a San Franciscan, the SF Environment is offering a program where they’ll drop off a living tree at your house and then pick it up after the holidays and re-plant it in a foliage-deprived neighborhood, making the process as eco and easy as can be (for $150).

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