Today is 9 January. It's that time of the year again when Christmas trees are discarded by the side walk. I used to walk by the wasted trees, feeling a sense of sadness for a moment, and then go on with my day. But not in 2018. This year, I decided to take some action.
Do you also believe that we should value trees more? I believe that people who buy a pine tree during Christmas time enjoy the tradition of decorating it, seeing the warm twinkle of fairy lights against the pine needles, and gathering the family around it. They make the effort to spend money and bring one in the house. However, they might not realize the negative impact they're causing in the process.
Commercially sold pine trees are usually grown in farms. It takes about eight to ten years to grow the pine tree. During these years, various resources are used in order to grow attractive trees that will sell well. Water, pesticides, fuel…these are a few resources that go into the process and it’s a burden for the environment. Moreover, while growing they provide a home for birds and small mammals. Once Christmas time comes, they all lose their homes.
What happens after Christmas and New Year? Some plant it in their garden, that's a good option. This way the resources used to grown the tree are not lost. Others recycle it, which seems like a good option but this still uses up resources and creates waste. Others burn it or give it away with trash, completely wasting a valuable resource that could be useful to others.
Is this what we want to teach the future generation? Do we want to repeat the message that it's OK to waste healthy trees? I don’t think so and I believe we should feel free to speak out against it. Plain and simple: I don't believe it's OK to waste trees. I don't want to point fingers, I'm not an eco-guru, I just want to start the conversation. There are plenty of alternatives to natural Christmas trees that you can find in my previous blog post.
So this is what I've done. I've taken a short walk around my neighborhood with my camera and taken a selfie with every wasted pine tree I came across, to make this topic visible. Check out the pictures below. I've only put 5 pictures of the 30 that I took. I'm still astonished how many beautiful, big, healthy trees are just thrown away.
And now I need your help. If you believe that trees should also not be wasted, share this article with your friends and family to spread the message.
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About Mixua
Mixua believes that everyone can make a positive impact. That is why we want to inspire you on the way to a more ecological lifestyle. We do this through various activities such as the Eco Tours, online workshops and online discovery guide.