What a wonderful time of the year. Family. Food. Festivity. Time’s spent decorating front porches, or fire escapes for us city folk, and Christmas trees are harvested for families around the world to place nicely in their living rooms - setting their houses aglow with that famous holiday spirit. With all that comes with the holiday season, Christmas trees are a staple that most cultures across the world enjoy each year. The environmentalist in you may be freaking out thinking, cutting down trees is outright HORRID! But, we’d like to shed some light on why this isn’t exactly so, renewing that sense of Christmas peace that we’re all so fond of.

For the sustainable mogul in all of us, knowing that there is an environmentally-friendly way to harvest Christmas trees will (probably) be the best Christmas present we’ll receive this year. Our friends at Trees for the Future have overloaded our minds with facts around trees and their harvest - how it can be done in an environmentally friendly way. So from us to you, here are a couple reasons why cutting down trees isn’t so bad.

1. Firewood: A lot of tree farmers rely on firewood to cook their meals and generate heat during cooler seasons. By sustainably growing and using “fast growing trees”, these trees grow and regrow fully in a short 3-6 month period!
2. Decreased Carbon Footprint: Let’s put to rest the idea that getting a fake Christmas tree is the better way to go. Most fake alternatives have a huge carbon footprint thanks to the materials used to make them, where they’re made, and how they get to where their going (shipping methods).

A few things to consider when picking out your Christmas tree this year:

1. Are you replacing the tree at the same site or in a different location?
2. Is it grown with fertilizers and pesticides or was it grown naturally?
3. Where are the trees coming from? Local? Far?
4. Is the purchase keeping a local small farm viable?
5. What will you do on New Year’s Day? Throw it out or compost it?
6. Is cutting down the tree contributing an area that’s being clear-cut?

SHEW. That’s a lot to take in, but it’s all relevant. We are here to make a difference in a time such as this - in a time where our world is decomposing before our very eyes (#truthhurts); a time where our environment is suffering. So, let us join together and give Mother Nature, tree farmers, and our families the best gift we could give - a smaller carbon footprint, fuel for warmth and food, and trees that not only help people, but help our planet.