According to Rainforest Alliance and Small Footprint Family…

• Get a real organic tree. Real trees are produced on farms like any other crop therefore they are meant to be cut down. Fake trees are made of plastic and are mainly from China meaning they leave a much greater carbon footprint.

• Recycle or compost your tree. To avoid your tree ending up in a landfill, check out your local municipalities to see if they have a tree recycling program. Don’t wait though as most of these programs end two weeks after the new year. To compost, cut your tree into smaller pieces and use it to create a compost pile or add it to your already existing pile.

• Use a timer and LED christmas lights. Each year, holiday lights use up 6.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity or, in other words, enough energy to power 14 million refrigerators. LED lights use less power than your traditional bulb and a timer makes sure your lights are only on when needed.

• Don’t do online shopping last minute. One or two day shipping emission outputs are extreme compared to standard shipping outputs. With shipping this quick, your products are transported by air freight. Airplanes are responsible for 11% of domestic transportation emissions alone. The more time you give a company to ship your product, the more sustainably they can do it.

• Choose gift bags over wrapping paper. Most wrapping paper you find in stores is not recyclable. Gift bags can be saved and used over and over again. Even better, try buying reusable bags for your gift. Your friend will love their stylish new bag and it can help them cut down on their plastic use by bringing their reusable bag shopping with them. If you are really set on wrapping your gifts, look into cloth wrapping paper. It can be reused again and again and is a great alternative to wrapping your gifts in paper.