Looking for a Christmas tree?

[dmazaira]

Holiday season is here, in many countries, regardless religious beliefs, Christmas trees start to appear everywhere in streets, shopping malls and homes.

I was born in Venezuela and having a real tree for Christmas was a luxury not too many could afford. The trees were imported all the way from Canada, something that our Time person of the year, Miss Thunberg would totally disapprove. So, getting a plastic one was not a bad idea after all.

According to Carbon Trust, considering the life cycle emissions, you should keep your plastic tree for at least 10 years to have a lower footprint than a natural one. A natural tree that is after used as firewood has a 3.5 kg CO2 carbon footprint. If the tree ends up decomposing in a landfill, its footprint increases to 16 kg CO2 due to decomposition in methane. The carbon footprint of a 2m artificial tree is around 40 kg of CO2.

If you have the chance, the best you can do is get a potted tree that can be planted after the holiday season, there are even some places where you can rent a tree (have a look here if you’re in Switzerland).

So, if you have a plastic tree keep it as long as you can and please, please, it’s time for you to throw away those old Christmas lights and get LED ones!

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