Have a Green Christmas
18 November 2009
This year, make it a ‘real' Christmas
As shops start playing familiar Christmas jingles and festive lights are switched on, it is time to start thinking about decorating the house. This year, the Central Scotland Forest Trust is encouraging everyone to give a little more thought to the kind of tree they buy and make it a real one, whenever possible.
CSFT is in favour of cutting down real Chritmas trees as long as they are bought from a sustainable source, such as a local tree farm. Sustainable sources plant trees to replace the ones chopped down thus causing very little harm to the environment and ensuring that the forest is healthily regenerated each year.
People assume artificial Christmas trees are environmentally friendly, but the production and disposal can often be very harmful to the environment. By buying a cut down real Christmas tree, not only will it contribute to a greener environment, but the smell of the fresh pines in the house will add further to the Christmas spirit.
You could even buy a real Christmas tree with its roots. However, like any plant, whether it's in the house or outside in the garden, it will need the same love and attention to sustain a healthy growth. Christmas trees don't thrive in the warm, dry atmosphere inside our homes and so your tree should only be kept indoors for around 12-15 days. It should be in a room which is kept at a fairly cool temperature to ensure good health ready for planting outside when the festivities are over.
For an even ‘greener' Christmas, eco-friendly decorations can also be made from natural sources. A good way to start is to gather holly, ivy and mistletoe from the wild, with permission from the landowner. They can then be used for wreaths, table decorations and, of course, on the Christmas tree. Further green decorations for the house could be twigs and pine cones painted with silver and gold.
There are so many other things you can do to make this Christmas much greener, such as recycling wrapping paper and Christmas cards, and one of the most rewarding thoughts is that what you are doing is helping the environment.
