I love the holiday season, and I’m excited to put up our Christmas Tree this year! Like everything else, Christmas has an environmental impact. That’s part of being human: everything we do has an environmental impact. But, we can take conscious steps to reduce our impact while still participating in beloved traditions. In today’s post,  learn whether a real or fake Christmas tree is more sustainable choice, and why.

Why a Real Christmas Tree is a More Sustainable Choice

 Every year I LOVE going to a local tree lot and purchasing a big, beautiful, real Christmas Tree. The short answer is that real Christmas Trees are more sustainable than artificial ones! Plus, they smell sooo good. Fragrant pine needles aside, what makes a real tree more sustainable than an artificial one?

Artificial Trees Have Higher Carbon Emissions

According to the Nature Conservancy, 10 million artificial trees are purchased in the US each year, 90% of them from China. Manufacturing and shipping artificial trees across the globe  requires a significant amount of energy and produces carbon emissions. 

Artificial Trees are Harder to Recycle, Meaning They End Up In the Landfill

Furthermore, once they’ve reached their end of life, artificial Christmas Trees are difficult to recycle, so all that plastic usually ends up in the landfill. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade easily; according to the UN,  it takes 20-500 years to decompose, and even then, it just gets smaller. Plastic waste is a huge environmental issue. While plastic is necessary in many parts of our modern lives, eliminating plastic where we don’t need it can help reduce our overall environmental footprint.  

Real Christmas Trees Support Sustainable, Responsible Forestry 

By contrast, real Christmas trees from responsibly managed farms take far fewer resources to produce. They absorb carbon dioxide while on the farm, and can be 100% composted or used for local ecosystem management projects once Christmas is over. Purchasing a real Christmas Tree from a local farm saves carbon emissions, and supports forest development. The Nature Conservancy states that out of the 350-500 million trees on farms in the US, about 10 million are harvested each year for Christmas trees. So many more hundreds of millions of trees remain on those farms, and your purchase supports them. Further, these tree farms plant 1-3 seedlings for every tree cut down. Being sustainable and fighting climate change is about using our resources more responsibly and sustainably–and supporting sustainable tree farms does just that. 

How to Make Your Christmas Tree More Eco-Friendly & Sustainable

If you don’t have a Christmas Tree, yet, I’d encourage you to choose a local, real tree. If you already have an artificial Christmas Tree, that’s ok, too! Many actions we take on a daily basis contribute to our environmental footprint, and often to a greater extent than our yearly Christmas Tree. Read on for how to make your Christmas Tree more eco-friendly this year!  

How to Minimize the Environmental Footprint of Your Christmas Tree

If you already have an artificial Christmas Tree, my advice is to keep using it! Using what you’ve already got is usually a good place to start when minimizing your environmental footprint. Once your artificial tree has lost its luster and you’re thinking of moving on, consider repurposing,  donating, or upcycling it before ultimately recycling or disposing of it. The more use you can get out of your tree, the better.

If you’re buying a real Christmas Tree this year, save any extra branches to make a wreath for your front door, or garland for your mantlepiece!  Real Christmas Trees often need to have some branches cut off before they’ll fit in a tree stand, and they’re perfect for wreaths and garlands.  I added some decorative holly and a fabric flower I already had to our extra Christmas Tree branches. When the season is over, I compost the branches but save the decorations for next year’s wreath. 

Another consideration for your eco-friendly Christmas tree is the lights. Opt for LED lights that are more energy efficient, or put your lights on a timer so they aren’t always on. Definitely make sure you turn off the lights when you aren’t home!

As you prepare for the holiday season, I encourage you to make a commitment to sustainability.  Whether that’s reusing an artificial Christmas Tree you already have, disposing of holiday decor properly, or decorating a real Christmas Tree, eco-friendly choices will make your holiday just a little bit brighter. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!