Darkness falls earlier and earlier across the country, the bright lights in the city make hearts beat faster and temperatures drop to zero – the Advent season is here and Christmas is getting closer and closer. In Austria, the custom of a decorated tree in the living room on Christmas Eve is an integral part of many households. However, in times of increasingly conscious climate protection, the demand for environmentally friendly alternatives to the traditional Christmas tree is growing. If you don’t want to do without the Christmas tradition, but also don’t want to have a bad climate conscience, we have a few solutions for you on how to make Christmas as sustainable as possible.
1. The regional Christmas tree
Some of the trees decorated with ornaments and sweets in our homes come from foreign Christmas tree plantations, such as Denmark. The long transportation route and the cultivation methods are a burden on the environment.
It would be better to use a regional fir tree. One option is to buy Christmas trees from regional foresters or the forestry office. If you want to do it yourself, you can find out which forests allow you to choose your favorite locally and cut it yourself. With both options, you not only support local forestry, but also save your tree unnecessarily long transportation routes, which is good for the environment.
2. The organic Christmas tree
The traditional Christmas trees are usually grown in monocultural monoculture plantations and are treated with fertilizers and pesticides. This is not only harmful to nature, but also us humans. If we place the tree in our own realm, the poison gets into our airways more easily.
Organic Christmas trees, on the other hand, are usually grown in mixed cultures. Organic cultivation means that they are less susceptible to pests, which is why fewer pesticides are used on them. If a tree is labeled with a seal that certifies organic cultivation, you can be sure that it is an organic Christmas tree. Examples of this would be the seals Naturland, Demeter or Bioland.
3. The Christmas tree in a pot
The Christmas tree in a pot – not such a rarity in Austria. The advantage of this is that the tree doesn’t end up in the bin after its grand entrance on Christmas Day, but can be put back in the ground and live on. Whether you want to plant the Christmas tree in your garden or take it back to the woods is entirely up to you. Of course, you can also leave it in the pot and declare the balcony its new home. If you like the idea of a living Christmas tree, you can contact the Austrian company „Greentree“, for example. They will bring a Nordmann fir tree to your home on a date of your choice and, if you wish, pick it up again to replant it in the forest.
4. The fair Christmas tree
Christmas is the festival of love, when we think of others. This also applies to the origin of our Christmas tree – we should pay attention to the conditions under which it was produced. In Georgia, Christmas tree seeds are usually harvested under difficult working conditions. If you don’t want to support this, you can contact various associations, such as “Fair Trees” , when buying your tree. This project ensures that the Christmas tree you buy has been grown with respect for people and nature. You also contribute to the education and health of the Georgian population.
5. The "Keinachtsbaum"
Once upon a time in Germany, there was a man called Nico who
wondered how he could provide his children with a Christmas tree without
cutting down a fir tree. After a long search for environmentally conscious alternatives, he came up withidea: the „Keinachtsbaum“. We are talking about a wooden Christmas tree.
This consists of a stand made from sustainably grown ash wood
and cut greenery that is inserted into the wood. For the
individual branches are taken from the trees and these are then delivered fresh every year. In this way, the fir is not felled and can continue to grow in the forest.
continue to grow in the forest. If you don’t want to have to take care of the greenery every year
greenery every year, you can sponsor a tree. Your money is used for the cultivation, care and harvesting of a certain number of trees and in return you automatically receive the cut greenery on the desired date.
6. Der selbst gebastelte Christbaum
Hier ist Einfallsreichtum gefragt – denn ein Weihnachtsbaum muss nicht immer echt sein. Es gibt viele Möglichkeiten, einen Baum zu basteln, etwa aus Naturmaterialien wie Äste und Zweige. Es muss aber auch nicht immer eine Tanne sein, so kannst du deinen persönlichen Baum auch aus Papier herstellen. Eine weitere Option wäre, dir deinen Christbaum an der Wand aufzuzeichnen. Schmücken kannst du ihn zum Beispiel mit LED-Ketten. Was auch immer dich anspricht, deiner Kreativität sind keine Grenzen gesetzt.
Die Weihnachtszeit ist eine wunderschöne Zeit und mit diesen
Tipps kannst du das Fest der Liebe gebürtig zelebrieren – ganz ohne schlechtem
Gewissen!