Hey peeps! Here in Sweden is time to bring the thick blankets out (like since September I’ve been doing that lol), prepare some hot chocolate, and listen to Christmas carols; but that’s not all of it for this season, decoration time begins in Stockholm! Rare pokemons (not literally pokemons) have appeared all around the city in for of Christmas trees! In the pic below you can appreciate two of the three Christmas tree that I tend to pass by on a normal day. The one in the left is located near Södra Station and the one in the right is located in Medis (go check them out).
Of course there are a lot more trees and decorations all around the city; for example, the ice skating located in Kungsträdgården, the light deers located outside Stockholm City station, or the other amazing Christmas tree located in Gamla Stan. If you are living here or planning to visit Stockholm during this time, you’ll find yourself wondering around a beautiful city full of decorations; of course, the Christmas markets are a MUST during this time of the year. Check out this video so you get an idea of what’s happening here!
But well, do you think I’ll leave you with out an environmental/you should be more conscious fact? 🙂 Now that we have talked about these huge Christmas trees popping all around the city, what about those millions of trees that we buy/chop down for our own house decoration, are these practices bad for the ecosystem? Should we buy instead a plastic tree? Well, let’s evaluate this questions because there is not conclusive answer as each one of us represents a specific case. How is that, Fernando? Well, imagine that I buy/chop down a tree here in Sweden, but I do it with a company that plants 2 trees for every tree they chopped down (balancing the scale). Now imagine, someone else buys/chops down a tree from a random company/place that doesn’t take care of reforesting the area… not so sustainable right.
Well, it all comes down to how much information you get from your tree dealer by means of, are they reforesting the area, do they have a recycling program for dry trees, etc. The thing with plastic trees (and generally speaking on the study I read) is that they are mainly produced in China (their energy mix is mainly from non-renewable resources for example) and they use lots of chemicals, so it is not so good for the environment. On the other hand, if a natural tree is harvested properly, it could have a lower environmental impact as it could come from a “tree farm” for example. Want to know a little bit more on the topic? Watch this video, you wouldn’t believe how many trees are chopped down only in the US each year for the season!
