How to Decorate a Christmas Tree the Environmentally Friendly Way

Christmas creates a lot of waste- from cutting down a Christmas tree, to wrapping gifts in paper, to all the electricity used by Christmas lights. Fortunately, with a little creativity, you can have a great holiday and still do your part to save the planet.

Find a Secondhand Christmas Tree

The downside to real Christmas trees is obvious- cutting down a tree for a one time use isn't exactly environmentally sound, but artificial trees have also have their share of problems. Mainly, artificial trees come from plastics and their creation uses resources. You can eliminate the resource use by saving a gently used artificial tree from the landfill. You can find used artificial Christmas trees at local resale shops, garage sales or online at sites like eBay and Craig's List.

Purchase LED Christmas Lights

LED Christmas lights cost more upfront than traditional bulb Christmas lights, but they last longer and their impact on the environment is significantly less. For one, LED Christmas lights can last up to 100,000 hours, according to MineolaPatch. This means a few sets of LED Christmas lights will last years longer than their traditional counterparts. The LED lights also use less energy. A standard strand of LED Christmas lights can use up to 90 percent less than traditional lights, according to MineolaPatch.

Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments

You can save dozens of items from the landfill and have a truly unique Christmas tree by making your own ornaments using items you find around the house. All you need is a hole punch or small drill and a piece of ribbon and you can turn anything into a Christmas ornament to hang on your tree. Making your own ornaments is also a fun activity to do with kids. Just gather up some items they can decorate, like cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls or jar lids, and some crafting supplies.

Don't Forget the Presents

Don't forget to make or buy green friendly presents to put under your eco conscious Christmas Tree. Several retailers make gifts for kids and adults alike out of sustainable materials or recycled goods. You can also make your own Christmas gifts. People love homemade gifts like candles, picture frames, decoupage boxes or cake mixes, and these gifts are cheaper to make and use less resources than store bought ones. Do even more for the planet and wrap all those gifts in Christmas paper made from recycled paper or sustainable materials such as the wrapping paper offered by Fish Lips Paper Designs.

Benjamin Rothfeder, Have the Best, Most Environmentally Conscious Christmas Tree , MineolaPatch.