Have yourself a sustainable Christmas

It can be easy to get swept up in the merriment of Christmas: buying lavish gifts and an abundance of food and decorations. And that’s before you’ve even considered the tree. But there are ways you
can reduce the waste your household contributes to this year and be more sustainable by focusing
on natural resources.

Choose wisely when picking your tree. According to the Carbon Trust, real Christmas trees have a
smaller carbon footprint than artificial ones. To ensure the tree you buy has been responsibly grown
and managed, look out for Forest Stewardship Council or ‘Grown in Britain’ labels, search for
organically grown trees and always buy locally. Forestry England have Christmas tree centres dotted
across the UK, and you can find the your nearest at forestryengland.uk/real-christmas-trees. The
best bit is your money will go towards maintaining forests for future generations.

Potted trees can be enjoyed in your garden all year, rather than just for Christmas – and they’ll also
absorb carbon dioxide during their growing period. Look for UK-grown varieties such as Blue Spruce
or Nordman. For long-term care, ensure you acclimatise your potted tree to indoor conditions
gradually, and then outdoor conditions after Christmas – as you would to harden off your seedlings.
Keep it away from radiators and fires.

And if you need to dispose of your tree, take it to a recycling plant (many local councils now run
schemes), where your tree will be shredded to become a mulch, or rotted down and recycled as
compost. An even better idea, which is becoming more widely available, is to rent a tree from a local tree
nursery. They’re grown in special pots so they can root into the ground but still be dug up and then
replanted the following year.