Rent yourself a merry little Christmas
Regardless of how you celebrate the season, one can't help but notice the Christmas spirit in full swing. Festive decorations, familiar carols, classic specials making their once-a-year TV appearances. You may have noticed some less traditional signs of the times surfacing as well. In past years, the season of red and green has been getting a lot greener. Today's eco-freindly consumer is finding new ways to bring joy to our world. From LED Christmas lights to buying local to re-gifting, green options abound! Some of the most popular eco trends to surface revolve around the holiday's centerpiece -- the Christmas tree. It's estimated that 32M Christmas trees are sold in America each year. The sheer environmental loss inherent in this statistic is staggering, not to mention the greenhouse gas and landfill implications. To combat this overwhelming reality, there's now a new option for Christmas tree lovers -- renting.
Several companies have been popping up around the world offering programs for renting (or adopting) living Christmas trees. The idea is simple. For under $100, you can have a potted evergreen delivered to your home where you can decorate and enjoy for three weeks time, after which it is picked back up and replanted, donated or cared for until next December. Ingenious! The cost is a bit more than what you'd pay to buy, but you can feel better knowing you did a good deed. Plus, drop-off and pick-up are included -- in a bio-diesel truck, no less!
Below are a few Christmas tree rental companies available by city. Feel free to add to this list:
- Portland, OR: The Original Living Christmas Tree Company
- San Francisco, CA: Friends of the Urban Forest
- Los Angeles, CA: The Living Christmas Company
- San Diego, CA: Adopt a Christmas Tree
Unfortunately, I didn't know this option existed until yesterday. But I know exactly what's on my list next year! For more green holiday tips, check out the Vancouver Sun article, 12 Ways to a Green Christmas or the popular book, Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season.
Happy Holidays!
