By Jessica Borges, LuxEco Living Editorial Assistant
There is so much joy in bringing home a Christmas tree each year to mark the beginning of the holiday season. But there is a distinct sadness that comes with seeing those trees discarded on sidewalks after the New Year begins. What if there was a way to enjoy having a live Christmas tree that you didn’t have to trash only weeks later?
The Living Christmas Company has created a system where customers in Southern California can do just this. Christmas trees are locally grown, delivered and then picked up from homes and businesses after the holiday season. From there, the trees are re-planted at the nursery and maintained throughout the year until the following Christmas where they may be returned to the same location or taken somewhere new.
Living Christmas not only makes having a live tree convenient with its easy delivery and pick up system, but it also helps protect our environment by reducing waste. Each year an estimated 34 million trees are tossed out, so each tree rented is one less winding up in the ever-growing landfills. While tree transportation across Southern California may raise concern for excessive gas emissions, customers can take comfort knowing the trucks run on clean burning bio diesel. For those who prefer having fake trees, they not only miss out on that fresh pine smell that epitomizes Christmas, they also put their health at risk by breathing in the chemicals polyvinyl emits. Some have even been found to contain lead dust. By choosing a live tree, customers actually improve their air quality.
Scott Martin, Founder and CEO of Living Christmas, emphasizes the importance of considering our environmental wellbeing. “Our mission to redefine the way California celebrates the holidays goes beyond just saving a tree – we are working to create sustainable and regenerative solutions that we can pass down to future generations,” Martin said.
Martin, nicknamed “Scotty Claus,” began the company in 2008 after being inspired by an earlier Christmas vacation delivering Christmas trees for a local nursery. He wanted to create a system where customers could bypass that sadness that comes with discarding their trees at the end of the season. By renting through Living Christmas, people are able to get that same tree back the following year if they so choose. Each tree is tagged with a barcode and entered in a system so people can name and be reunited with their living tree the next holiday season.
The Living Christmas Company’s Twitter account is filled with user feedback, including this tweet from one customer: “@torianddean: Got R @LivingChristmas trees. So gr8 2C kids trees from last yr. They’ve grown just like our kids!”
For some, it’s become a tradition to look forward to, like meeting up with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. Others find appeal in the convenience and ease of being able to enjoy a living tree without worrying about chopping or transporting. As awareness spreads, Living Christmas will do its part to help the environment, one tree at a time.
The Living Christmas Company delivers to locations as far south as Long Beach and north to the Pacific Palisades. Their delivery route includes Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, San Pedro, Palos Verdes, Torrance, Gardena, Lomita, the Rolling Hills Estates, West Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Brentwood. Prices include delivery and pick up services and vary depending on the tree type and size ($25 – $125).
