The Cardboard Christmas Tree: A Greener Option for Holiday Decorating

BY BERYL SHERESHEWSKY

Dan Green and Nick Ng are Chicago designers and co-founders of Cloud Gate Design.  The pair have created the Cardboard Christmas Tree, a new eco-friendly product designed to offer consumers a greener option for the holidays.

“We have both worked for product-centered companies, and we decided we didn’t want to just put another product out there,” explained Green.

The Cardboard Christmas Tree is simple in theory but really means a lot more than just a way to save a little space and cash during the holidays.

“We wanted to start a company that had ethics; we wanted consciousness to meet with design in a way that wasn’t detrimental to the environment,” said Ng.

“We wanted to create something where we could go home and say, ‘hey, it serves a need, it has a purpose and can be 100% recycled and reused.”

With part of the profits from the tree donated to the Arbor Day Foundation’s Trees for America program, every dollar donated becomes a newly planted tree in a damaged forest area.

So yes, the tree is cute, perfect for small homes, perfect for students in dorms, perfect for kids who want a tree in their room…..but there is something more, something that I think plays into the spirit of the holidays.

While at times they may be about watching Christmas specials on TV , the holidays are also about togetherness. “Families can get together and paint it, add stickers…it’s really a creative outlet,” explains Dan.

The tree cardboard Christmas tree and its packaging are well designed.  It arrives in a flat box and all the pieces are pre-cut - the tree is easy to assemble.  All the extra cardboard has been cut into stars, balls and candy cane shapes which easily pop out of the excess cardboard and can be attached to the tree. 

The entire tree is recyclable its made from 100% cardboard.  Of course the tree can be folded up and stored back in the box for use next year as well.

If you are looking for an alternative to the traditional Christmas tree which still allows for decorating and a wonderful holiday item - the cardboard Christmas tree is worth checking out.

Having traveled around the world, Beryl Shereshewsky, a recent University of Colorado, Boulder graduate, realized that in life, she wanted to accomplish three things. One, travel more, two, write about what she saw and three, save the world. With the recent advances in the green movement, she realized that she could be a superhero writer and write about saving the world. Combing her powers, she now writes for various eco and travel sites across the web, changing the world one article at a time. Feel like chatting?  E-mail her b.shereshewsky@yahoo.com.