We have a very simple goal: To produce Christmas trees that are kind to people and planet. Why? Because at the moment, real and artificial Christmas trees are not very kind and this is why:
Did you know that every year 30 million trees are cut down for the german market? At least 90% of them have been grown in monoculture and sprayed with pesticides. This is destroying our soils and contaminating our ground water. The trees are grown for 7-8 years and are used for 1 -2 weeks, which makes them one of the biggest single use items we use! Not very fitting for 2020.
Artificial Christmas trees aren't much better either, even though a recent Life Cycle Analysis by WAP Sustainability Consulting says that if you use an artificial Christmas tree for 5 years, then it's more sustainable to use a plastic one than it is to cut down a real one every year.
However, artificial Christmas trees have their own problems too!
Most artificial Christmas trees are made from PVC, which is the most unhealthy and environmentally damaging plastic. Their bad design makes them unrecyclable. They can only end up in the incinerator or landfill. They also contain inappropriate chemical additives like halogenated/Antimony fire retardants which have been linked to cancer and hormone disruption. And even the color green ‘Pigment Green 7’, which is the most commonly used to 'colour' Christmas trees contains chlorine which has also been linked to cancer and birth defects.
Since 2015, these insights have led me on a quest to create the most sustainable Christmas tree, which is simply kind to people and planet.
I can finally say ‘YEAH! I’ve invented the most sustainable Cradle to Cradle inspired artificial Christmas tree. However, in order to bring Eva to life, I need to raise funds to purchase some tooling for Eva's branches.
The Conscious Christmas tree, “Eva Green’’ with her clever design will certainly bring joy to your home, but she won't bring any harmful chemicals with her. And because of her thoughtful, cradle to cradle inspired design, she can be fully recycled at the end of her long life. And should there be a little accident... she can be easily repaired thanks to the modular design. The first model will be ca. 70cm tall and ca. 60cm wide at the bottom - a perfect table top tree. She will look exactly like a real Christmas tree.
In order to purchase the very expensive tool for "Eva Green", I need your help now! I have developed two alternative, sustainable Christmas trees with which you can use to already celebrate Christmas more sustainably this year! These are "Fritzi Fischer" made from bamboo and fishing net and "Kapitän Claus" made from up cycled sails.
Meet Fritzi Fischer
She's made from Bamboo and used fishing nets.
Why bamboo and used fishing nets? Because bamboo provides us with 35% more oxygen than trees and soaks up CO2 faster too! And, the more uses we find for old/discarded fishing nets the more chance we have that they will be brought back on land and not dumped in our oceans. Fritzi is a wall hanging Christmas tree - great if you don't have a lot of space. She can also be used as an advent calendar before Christmas! Fritzi will make a great gift for the grandparents too.
And now meet Captain Claus: He's made from upcycled sails.
Why old sails? Because when you keep already existing materials in use for longer, you reduce the need to make new materials, which reduces the need for resource extraction. This is one of the reasons we call our trees people and planet-friendly.
We need your support to realize the vision of the most sustainable Christmas tree in the world! You can support our cause by purchasing one of our alternative Christmas trees, sharing this campaign with friends and family or anyone you want to inspire to celebrate a more sustainable Christmas.
We are not only here to think about Christmas trees and sustainable materials. We are also here to awaken creativity in people and help them create a special time with family and friends and to let you know that YOU ARE NOT TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
So, this year, let's leave our real trees in the ground where they belong, and together let's care to celebrate differently.
TTFN!
