Every year millions of beautiful trees are cut down and transported around the world to become Christmas trees, only to be discarded shortly after the 25th of December.
It is hard to imagine Christmas without a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in your home. The lights and ornaments are a sparkling beacon of Christmas spirit and whilst you might think artificial trees are a better alternative they are often made from PVC and other harmful materials. It is said that for an artificial tree to have a lower carbon footprint than a real tree you need to use it for 10 or more years.
If you do want a real tree then:
"Getting a live Christmas tree with the root ball attached is by far the most eco-friendly Christmas tree. If you can't get a tree with an attached root ball, getting a live Christmas tree is more eco-friendly than getting an artificial Christmas tree." Earth Friendly Tips
Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without the tinsel and bauble-laden, flashing focal point, so what are the alternatives? How do you make a Christmas tree eco-friendly? Is it possible to have an eco-friendly fake Christmas tree instead of a real Christmas tree? The good news is yes, and we have found some great sustainable options for you to consider from zero-waste Christmas trees to eco-friendly wooden trees plus a few examples of the ethical and environmentally friendly Christmas trees we have here at Bawah Reserve.At Bawah Reserve, our main tree on the jetty is completely made of recycled glass bottles.
We collect the wine and beer bottles that guests drink to create this tree. Our facilities team made the wireframe and the bottles slide on. The whole tree is uplit with solar LED rope lights.
This bottle drying rack is a real help as a wine bottle Christmas tree frame if you don’t have the tools to make the stand yourself. If you are using a stand arrange the bottles upside down in a triangular shape with a point at the top.
Or for a really simple design, you could stand the bottles upright and use wood or books to balance the layers.
Bawah Reserve Glass Bottle Tree:
Pernod Ricard/Jameson Tree:
Beer Bottle Tree:
Image: Crafty Beer Girls
Why not make use of the hundreds of fallen branches, twigs, and driftwood that you can find
all around? A little stroll along the beach or through the park or woods and you and your
family should be able to gather enough to make a tree. We sprayed our branches white for an extra Christmas effect. Get a long broom handle or thick dowel and make small holes in it with a drill. Simply poke the branches into the holes, shorter twigs at the top, longer at the bottom making a triangular Christmas tree shape. Or for an even simpler alternative, you can create a 2D flat version by wrapping wire around the branches on both sides, thicker longer branches at the bottom then tiered longer to smaller against a wall. Here are some beautiful examples:
Bawah Branches Tree:
Coastal driftwood branch tree
Image: Crafts by Amanda
For an unusual non-traditional Christmas tree, cast your eye over to that heavily laden bookshelf and you have just what you need to create a book lover's dream Christmas tree. Even if you don’t have many books at home yourself – pop to your local charity shop or library and grab some second-hand books at a very low price. Pile your books open or closed into a series of tiered circles, one upon the other, until you reach your desired height. Remember if you want a tall tree go wide on the base layer to allow the structure to be secure.
Image: Droplets of Eden
Who says a Christmas tree has to be a Nordic evergreen? You can get creative and decorate a plant or tree that you currently have. Look around at the plants sharing your home and give them a festive makeover - drape tinsel over leaves, or string lights around a tall ficus plant and its pot. Add a star on top and you are good to go. Don’t limit yourself to just indoor plants, get some solar-powered string lights and dress up a tree in your yard to spread the Christmas magic outside, too.
PS - Did you know you can also rent a Christmas Tree?
For more inspiration, we highly recommend reading these articles -
- 40 amazingly inventive alternative Christmas Tree ideas to try this year from HGTV - 9 Sustainable Alternatives To Christmas Trees from Live Kindly.
Get creative with your eco Christmas tree inspiration and think about the ways you can reuse, reduce, and recycle the things around your homes and in nature– and do share your work! And remember to also try your own sustainable Christmas tree decorations too!
We can’t wait to see what you come up with.