"Transforming Christmas: Balancing Tradition and Environmental Impact"
Maria Fernanda Gonzalez Prato | Biochemistry Researcher
Edited by Pierre Trinh | Sustainable Researcher
20th of December, 2024
Keywords: sustainable vacation; sustainable gifts; Christmas, environment
Traditionally, Christmas has become one of the most expected festivities on Earth every year, which gives people a wonderful time to connect with long-time no-see family and friends or rest from the busy routine. Filled with colourful lights and ornaments, it involves buying presents and decorations, applying high expectations to live up to, and so, rebranding what should be a time to come together into an extravagant gift-receiving day that ends up hurting more than us humans. Considering the environmental consequences the world is facing, more and more individuals are aiming to be conscious about their waste and carbon footprint throughout their daily lives, but what happens during the holidays? In just over three days of Christmas, up to 650 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per person can be produced. (1) With Christmas around the corner, our biochemistry researcher, Maria Fernanda Gonzalez Prato, decided to provide you with some background and recommendations for this holiday, not only to attempt to make more informed choices but also to celebrate with your loved ones without compromising our planet.?
What is the actual problem we are facing in the Christmas season?
From single-use plastic made of fossil fuels that take years to degrade while damaging ecosystems to the 7 million metric tons of food wasted around Christmas. Even the ultimate Christmas symbol, the trees, are directly responsible for serious harm to the environment in multiple ways. While consistent and reliable data about Christmas expenditures and waste can seem quite a challenge, the few released statistics are alarming, with the UK alone estimated to have used an approximate 227,000 miles of wrapping paper (enough to go around the world nine times!) and plastic Christmas trees, taking up to twelve years to begin decomposition (2).
While the challenges are significant, there is always a ray of hope. The increasing number of companies are emerging to offer alternative options that can keep the Christmas spirit alive while making it a greener event. However, for a sustainable holiday season to become reality, it is essential that various interests strike a balance. These include the celebratory aspects with the community, the consumerism impulses driven by individualism and social media exposure, the lack of awareness of what to do with the better alternatives for gift wrapping or tree shopping, and the stigma around making more eco-friendly choices for the holidays.?
Let us take a closer look into an example related to the eternal dilemma across the Christmas tree. The origin of this woody symbol can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it was initially used as a pagan offering to the gods. In fact, the act of cutting down a tree represents the ritual deployed by missionaries in an attempt to convert non-Christians by pointing to a nearby evergreen as their 'holy tree.' By the 1830’s, almost every house in the United States had a Christmas tree during the holiday season (3). As this tradition started spreading worldwide, the environmental impact it started caused companies to look for alternatives, such as goose feather trees and finally, plastic.
Nowadays, most artificial Christmas trees are constructed from plastic, PVC, and metal. These trees are primarily produced in China and shipped around the globe year-round, but these are not only non-degradable but also contribute an estimated carbon footprint of 40 kg of CO2 to the atmosphere throughout their lifecycle (4), meaning they will take a significantly longer time to decompose, all the while releasing harmful greenhouse gases. Additionally, this carbon footprint includes emissions from both manufacturing and international shipping. Despite these, over 10 million artificial trees are sold in the United States each year (5).?
As an alternative to this problem, families are opting for natural trees more often, and although they are cut down for single use as well, they seem to be a more sustainable option if used correctly, which is where the problem falls into. In nature, it typically takes up to 10 years for a pine to grow to the ideal 6-foot height many desire to place at home (6). Researchers from the University of York explain that although during this period of growth they store the CO2 in their cells, more than half of these naturally source trees are burned after the holidays are over, thus releasing all that CO2 rapidly and contributing to pollutants and greenhouse gases (7). The Carbon Trust reports that if the tree ends on a bonfire, its carbon footprint is around 3.5 kg of CO2. If afterwards it is sent to a landfill, this drastically increases to 16 kg of CO2 per tree (8).
领英推荐
So which one is better?
In reality, to decide which one is more sustainable than the other depends on various factors, the most notable of which could be the fundamental need of any essential consumption. Taking the example of Christmas trees, people in certain countries (most notably the US) have traditionally purchased household trees at Christmas Eve for generations, so they find it harder to remove this practice instantly. But in other nations, such as Estonia, where the communal pines even become a symbol of a fulfilled holiday, the replacement of household trees with public ones becomes relatively more feasible.
In Estonia, the tradition of the public Christmas tree goes back all the way to 1441, when the Brotherhood of Black Heads set a Christmas tree up on Tallinn Town Hall Square.? Historian Jüri Kuuskemaa has found an official document stating that in 1441, the city council had paid for musicians who played music by the tree on Town Hall Square on the 25th of December. Since then, when people walk towards the lush Christmas tree in Tallinn Town Hall Square during Christmas, they are taking part in century-old traditions with unique joy.
In practice, if a neighborhood of around 50 households enjoys a public Christmas tree together, it can simply reduce the loss of 49 natural trees cut down or man-made trees disposed of every year, thus significantly contributing to communal sustainability. This community-based approach can also be applied to the consumption of several types of goods.?
Conclusions
In general, the sustainability of the Christmas season is dependent on several factors, such as product types, ingredient grades, and their required quantity, as well as other socio-economic aspects, which would result in not only GHG emissions but also material waste. However, it is worth noting that the fundamental need of a product within any society matters. Several factors, including tradition or individual behaviors, can significantly drive people’s consumption. Therefore, leading consumers towards more sustainably fabricated but traditionally satisfying purchase choices is a long-term mission to proceed.
Recommendations to Producers and Consumers
Many organizations, from small- to large-scale companies, have already prioritized the concept of circular economy in their product lines. As consumers are increasingly aware of sustainable development in their daily lives, adopting sustainable practices is crucial for producers and brands to substantially win over customers and stay ahead. As we have seen and understood what sustainable manufacturing is all about, let’s dive right into all parts of this subject, such as:
For the consumers, as already mentioned, the substantial change in their behaviors, both traditionally and individually, is important (9). The actions could include:
The practices above are just prime examples of how we can contribute to a much brighter landscape for Christmas Eve just via certain simple acts. And there are a variety of things that each of us can do in specific cases. Please don’t hesitate to act decisively whenever possible, and on behalf of The Skynth Research, we wish Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Reference
Well done Mafer