Christmas trees and the environment

Lately there’s been a few of those articles trying to tell the readers what is better for the enviroment, a ‘real’ Christmas tree or a plastic one (plus a few loopholes, at it were).

The main options are

1) Plastic tree
2) A ‘real’ dead tree from the forest
3) A living tree to put in the garden (at least if you live in California, which I don’t and many other people don’t either).

As I have told people in comments on articles over the past few years, we own a number of very old plastic Christmas trees that my parents bought in the 1980’s when no one knew how dangerous they were to the environment. I’m thinking that if you keep one of those toxic trees for 30+ years then maybe their danger has been spread over enough years to be forgiven?

I will never want to kill a real living tree to put in my living room, so since apparently the plastic trees are still out, because no one’s found a way of making them more environmentally friendly, my only option is

4) No tree at all.

Sure it’s a very nice idea to buy a real living tree and put it in one’s garden after Christmas, but I can assure people living in California that it would take dynamite to blast a hole in a Swedish December garden and that probably wouldn’t help a poor tree much. Besides, how many trees can you put in your garden before it turns into a town or city forest?

So that’s my position. Frankly, since this year we (my sister and I) decided not to do Christmas at all, I have felt so liberated. I really don’t want celebrate it again ever. Sure presents are nice, but you can get them at other times as well. Nice food is another thing I don’t object to, but to decorate the whole house for just a week or two – nah. It’s not for me.

I would like to end this post by saying that I don’t judge anyone for their Christmas tree-related choices. Do what you like and what your conscience allows you to do. It’s none of my business. This is my opinion.

Is Your Obsession With Coconuts Harming the Environment?

It’s no secret that coconut has recently seen a boom in worldwide demand. The fruit, important to many tropical cultures for generations, has experienced a surge in interest from Westerners. And it’s no wonder that people all over are suddenly going coo-coo for coconuts; the stuff is positively amazing!

Coconut milk, sugar and flour are all appealing to consumers needing or wanting alternatives to the conventional forms of these staples. Coconut water is touted by many as an ideal aid in hydration.

But at what cost does our coconut addiction come to people and planet?

Read more here.

Want to save the environment? Go vegetarian!

Going vegetarian is the easiest and quickest way to lower your carbon footprint, reduce pollution, and save energy and water. That’s because meat production requires staggering amounts of land, water, and energy, compared to plant foods. Let’s explore that now.

Read more here.

This seems like great info, but I’m not really happy about the ‘crazed hippie’ remark.