I'm dreaming of a green Christmas

I was sick with a chest cold returning from my trip to BC. I guess that's what you get for surfing in the north Pacific ocean in November. I opted to take sick days to recover and in my boredom, did some work in terms of research in my quest to have as green a Christmas as possible. This was one of 10 items on a household contract for my "BE GREEN" yoga project and turned into a major component of the project.

Many different tips and tricks can be found on the internet and many of them were original but not necessarily new to the household. The biggest question for me was the Christmas tree. Real or not real. I have a 4 foot fake tree which is on its last year and is a fire hazard. It was bought cheaply years ago and I found that the off gassing when the lights are on for a while was probably not a good idea.

Here were the arguments I found for what’s greener:
-Most Christmas trees are raised on established farms and for the sole purpose of being harvested for Christmas. Deforestation is not an issue but it could be shipped from a long distance, and could require pesticides and fuelled vehicles to maintain. They could also end up taking space in a landfill. If going real, tips include choosing something locally and organically grown cutting down on CO2 emissions and helping prevent the environmental degradation wrought by pesticides on big conventional operations.
-Most artificial trees are made in China from oil-derived and pollution releasing PVC. Some contain lead, the dyes used are toxic, and will last for centuries in landfills. Advocates of artificial trees point out that a one-time purchase for reuse can save gas for annual trips to buy a real tree, especially if the tree is kept in the family for many years.

On balance, and based on where I live (close to a number of what could be considered “local” farms), I decided to go with real. I don’t know if the farm I chose was organic but I made sure the tree came from a farm close to the city and walked to pick up the tree and bring it home. The idea is to convert it to mulch or compost when done. I have yet to decide on how to dispose of the fake tree. Without lights, it would be fine in another household or could be donated for a shelter or church that needs a window display.

(I did find in the research that the most clear-cut “green” answer is the following: Buying a living, plantable "bulb" tree. Inside, the tree can wear ornaments and garland, and after Christmas it can be transplanted outdoors.)

Other green efforts relating to Christmas have been:
-I did not use any wrapping paper on any gift this year. Everything was wrapped using other gifts (scarves, vases, canvas bags), craft goods from previous years, or left unwrapped.
-Bought gifts were limited and all bought gifts transported home on public transportation. Wherever possible, the gifts were locally made or supporting local artists or homemade by me. I made little bags of homemade granola this year. After making them, I realized I should have used tins or jars but in the end, because the bags have a reseal on them, I hope they will be reused. I also limited the number of people I felt I needed to gift to, opting to give people my “face” and time instead.
-No cards, no waste.

-I did not purchased new decorations for the house and reused what I had or made other things to decorate the home.
-I prepared a lot of different items for different potlucks and try to make things that are wholesome, shareable, and don’t create too much waste, if any. In addition, in preparation for a get-together at my house, I have asked some guests to bring small plates or wine glasses (whatever I am short on) and will use real cloth napkins or napkins that are compostable.
-I started a few “green Christmas” statuses on Facebook that got a lot of great (sometimes controversial) dialogue going about steps to take and some people, myself included, got a lot of good ideas out of that.

I also took the time at home to start going through that extra 10% of stuff that I was looking to get rid of. In addition to maybe 5-6 bags that have left the household in recent months, I loaded up another four bags during my day off. One is a bag of clothing and shoes and winter wear to be donated to a shelter. Others are “goods” like movies, cds, dvds, and those will be brought to a charity to sell for self-generated revenue. I also packaged about 15 bags of toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoos, conditioners, soaps, lotions etc) from samples I’d accumulated from hotels and donated them to a woman’s shelter. Not only does it feel amazing to de-clutter, but you’re ensuring that things find another home, one that needs it more than you do.

This is definitely something that I can keep doing and would love to hear your ideas on how to be even greener! Please feel free to share below and let me know what you do in your day to day to be green.