The environmental impact of Christmas Trees...which option is the best?

[@MichaelSmith-fj7di]

If you already have a fake tree, using that is going to be your most sustainable option. Keep using it if it’s still good to use. That needs to be stated. Using what you already have is always the most sustainable option. Our family has a fake Christmas tree that we got many years ago, so we’ll be using that again.

[@BronzeDragon133]

Now let's calculate in the amount of time, energy, electricity, water, and soap I use getting the inevitable pine sap out of the carpet. I'll stick with my fake, thanks. 🙂

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

yes for sure! I always state this :)

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

good points!

[@karinhart489]

We used to get a real tree every year from the lot when I was a kid. Then about 1970 my family decided to get a live tree which we decorated outside in our screened in patio. Then we planted it in the yard where my mom had already wanted to plant a tree. Later my mom wanted a Xmas tree inside so we helped her research what size she had space to store and got her a much smaller tree that sat on a table. I think we got it from someone in her church who didn’t want to pay for shipping when they moved out of area. She had that nice little fake tree for 30+ years. When she died we passed it on to one of the neighbor kids that was moving into their 1st apt apartment and wanted a small tree just like hers. Personally, I don’t have a tree at my house but enjoy the tree at my sister’s.

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

30 years is amazing!

[@AluraEmbrey]

I got my fake tree from my local buy nothing group. Free and keeps something out of the landfill. 😊

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

woohoo great idea!

[@oliv3691]

These days my husband and I don’t have a tree at all, I just decorate with a few festive items around the place. But I have lots of fond memories of having a real Xmas tree growing up. One year we went into the woods behind our home and my sister and I convinced our dad to chop down a small pine tree and boy was that a very “Charlie brown” scraggly type of tree, but we loved it!! 🎄

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

he are also treeless as we move into an apartment it's fun to deocorate in other ways!

[@JFrigault]

If we did not have allergies to Pine needles, we might’ve gotten a real one; but we bought a quality fake tree to re-use for years to come

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

are you also allergic to fir? Xmas trees are firs! But yes do what you have to do :) make it last and that is just fine!

[@jihaeugh]

Thanks for making this video! I liked how you went into depth on each option and its impacts. Hopefully it helps people not make the same mistakes I did when buying my first tree. I got mine before starting on my sustainability journey, and it's the absolute worst tree situation you could have - cheap artificial flocked tree from Walmart. I kick myself every year when I take it out both because the waste and the fact I don't even like how it looks anymore. I'll be using it forever though, because I don't think anyone wants such a low quality sparse tree 😭 And I'd rather it get use than sit at a secondhand store for the season to then be thrown out.

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

thanks so much! you could get rid of it on your local buy nothing group if you really wanna ditch it!

[@4-kathryn]

Got my fake Christmas tree in 2018, so this'll be it's 6th year in use. I do plan to buy lights if it fails but so far it's been working fine for my family. Water is scarce in my area so I can't do live trees as easily. I admire your tree knowledge, thanks.

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

for sure every region will be different, thanks for sharing!

[@CreativeRedundancy]

Listening Emma I “dig” it. I per”fur” your quick talk here. Just to add consider avoid using tinsel when possible and reuse any part of either real or fake tree. Like you’ve said landfill should be last option.

[@Jennifer-i7b]

I love live trees. We have a ceramic tree that my grandmother made. We put it up every year. If you want a real one, get a potted one and replant it or put it on your patio. I will not kill a 🌲. 🎉 Happy vegan thanksgiving!

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

woah how fun!

[@threefreaksonaleash6619]

🌱✊🏻😸💚

[@KeliOConnor]

I decorated a plant I had for several years until going through my mom’s stuff and taking her lighted table top artificial tree. I can’t wait to use it instead of throwing a string of fairy lights I scored from my 2019 wedding on the ficus 😂

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

haha I love that idea! I think I'm going to crochet my plants santa hats hahaha

[@KikiAndCompany]

Whoa! (๑⚆‿⚆) I didn't know some of these options existed! I likely won't be doing it, but it’s good to know some public lands allow tree cutting. And the return program to the nursery is a neat idea! I'll have to look into this where we live. My parents have been using the same faux Christmas tree for about three decades. (๑˃‿˂) It’s still going strong! And I have two friends who've created a mini “Christmas Forest” with the faux trees they’ve collected over the years. One simply kept every tree rather than throwing it away, and the other goes around to friends and family every year to see if anyone is planning to buy a new one and toss their old one. What's interesting is that since she started this about a decade ago, we noticed more and more of her family have been reusing their trees! (๑⚆‿⚆) Now, they are people with the space and storage space to do this, so it won't work for most people, including myself. But I thought the idea was cool - and the result when they decorate is beautiful! (๑•‿•๑)

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

thanks for sharing!

[@That.Lady.withtheYarn]

I’m add and I can follow your speed just fine lol. But our new tradition is to not decorate the tree, pet likes to climb it or use paper.

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

woohoo nice!

[@IAmSherry12]

This was really interesting. I was surprised how wrong I was about real trees and how wrong I was about fake trees! I wish I had an option here in very rural Kentucky for a living tree That doesn't exist here.

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

yeah, it's not terribly popular right now but I hope that method gains traction!

[@spiderwickian]

love this!

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

yay thanks!

[@joni1]

🌲

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

:)

[@starbug345]

Off topic question, but do you know of or know how to find local zero waste or eco conscious organizations in my area (Colorado)? I still like your content and plan to keep watching, but I would also enjoy more localized information and community