Season's Greenings

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O Tannenbaum

Live tree or artificial? It feels more environmentally loaded than "paper or plastic." Ideally, you'll find a local, organic tree grower, but these are few and far between, so ask vendors where their trees are grown and what pesticides they use. You can also craft a few branches pruned from a living tree into a shapely cone. Artificial trees, on the other hand, are made from nonrenewable petroleum, may contain lead and are usually only kept for a few years.

Although organically grown Christmas trees and greenery are still a rarity, visit localharvest.org or check with an organic grocer to see if they're available near you. Curtis Buchanan of Jonesborough, Tenn., runs Glen Ayre Christmas Tree Farm, which is certified under the USDA's National Organic Program. He uses no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers, so Buchanan says his customers happily report an occasional bug or two—and business is thriving ($60; available regionally, call for locations, 423-753-5160).

John Fogel sprouted the Original Living Christmas Tree Company with conifer rentals in Portland, Ore. ($75; www.livingchristmastrees.org). His potted trees are definitely environmentally friendly, but he says that although most customers don't, "people can plant them in their yards year after year." So his company picks up the trees in January for replanting in parks or open spaces. In San Francisco, Friends of the Urban Forest allows renters to choose from regionally appropriate species such as magnolias (for pricing, see www.fuf.net).

Christmas tree loans are suitable only where January ground can be broken without a jackhammer. As an alternative, Tree People in Beverly Hills (www.treepeople.org), American Forests (www.americanforests.org) and Heifer International (www.heifer.org) accept monetary contributions toward tree plantings year-round—your local parks might too.

For special sparkle, hang LED holiday lights instead of incandescent. LEDs are cooler than incandescents, have sturdier plastic bulbs and use 90 percent less energy. A 5-color string of 70 mini-lights from Holiday LEDs will last for 50,000 hours or more ($18.99; www.holidayleds.com). Lead is still used in many light strings, including LEDs, so wash your hands after handling, and keep them away from small children and pets.

All Good Gifts

When it comes to giving, think organic. Local Harvest puts you in touch with local sources for fresh flowers, holiday greenery and gift baskets—even handmade pet toys, soaps or yarn (www.localharvest.org).

For long-distance eco-friendly gifts, try Organic Bouquet or Diamond Organics. Kathleen Hamilton of Diamond Organics says her certified-organic food gifts like the Coastal Wine and Cheese Basket are popular with businesses ($85; www.diamondorganics.com). "They want to do something sustainable and healthy—it makes a good impression about where they're coming from," she says. With the purchase of Jane Goodall Calla Lilies ($54.95) or a Nature Conservancy arrangement ($59.95) from Organic Bouquet, 5 percent will go to the nonprofits (www.organicbouquet.com).

Fair trade is good for the environment as well as people, since viable work depends on reliable supplies of resources. Plus a fair-trade gift gives twice—to the recipient and the craftsperson. Thousands of diverse goods are available online, such as beeswax menorah candles for Hanukkah from Global Exchange ($15/45 candles). If you prefer hands-on shopping, socially minded vendor Ten Thousand Villages also has hundreds of storefronts nationwide (www.tenthousandvillages.com). For more fairly traded holiday gifts, see All's Fair.

Worried about the safety of imports? Lisa Stratton, spokesperson for Ten Thousand Villages, reassures consumers that with their organization, "Anything intended for children is definitely tested for lead." She adds, "We work with artisan groups to source lead-free materials."