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Energy & Emissions  |  Dec 5, 2010 12:50 PM EST

I am a recent graduate of William and Mary with a double major in environmental science and policy and public policy. I will be an energy blogger. How can the U.S. reduce its dependence on foreign oil? Is green technology going to happen sooner than we think? What kind of message is needed to sell individuals on the need to stop drill baby drill? These are some of the questions I'd like to ex...

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Go Green this Holiday Season

Go Green this Holiday Season with an Environmentally Friendly Christmas Tree.
For those who celebrate Christmas, it is a joyous time and a great together among family and friends. Yet, it can also ruin environmental quality given that it involves the transport of trees from tree farms on one side of the country to the other side and the use of pesticides and fertilizers on tree farms. As a result, the Christmas tree itself may not involve a lot of green processes and practices, which in turn adds to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere over the holiday season from transportation and the manufacturing of Christmas trees for sale. However, there are ways to make Christmas and holiday season green.

One way to go green for your Christmas holiday is to pick an artificial tree because "it can save gas otherwise used for a tree farm or shopping center. Artificial trees are also convenient and require no pesticides, though they are made out of petroleum products." Another option to go green this Christmas season is "to fashion your own "tree" from natural materials like driftwood, pine boughs, felled branches and the like." Even more interesting for going green is to "buy from a local sustainable farm." These are three options for going green for your Christmas and they can certainly go a long way toward ensuring you do not leave behind a large carbon footprint this holiday season.

Going green, therefore, should be about saving money and time. A Christmas tree that is less expensive and does not involve travel halfway across the country is the way to go simply because it takes the hassle out of the holiday season.  Often, individuals believe that they need a fancy Christmas tree to truly celebrate the holiday, but in reality that does not have to be the case. Instead, celebrating the holiday should be about family and togetherness without the hassle of worrying about a large tree with falling pine needles. Things like an artificial tree or even creating your own from driftwood certainly sounds like an interesting and unique way to celebrate the holiday season. If you want the fixings of a Christmas tree, that can certainly come about by trying to get a locally grown organic one rather than a tree that has traveled halfway across the country. As such, this holiday season should be not only about enjoying it, but also doing your part to provide for a clean environment. Hopefully, some of these tips such as buying an artificial tree or searching for local organic tree farms are helpful in terms of making your holiday season truly "green."

Photo Credit: Flickr

EsmeraldaL
EsmeraldaL 12am December 06
Going green this holiday season means a lot to promote the advocacy of preserving the natural environment. Christmas tree is a important sym...