Neil: Hello and happy Christmas!
This is 6 Minute English with me, Neil.
And joining me today is Sam.
Sam: Hello.
Neil: So, Sam, are you feeling excited
about Christmas?
Sam: Of course! Time with friends and
family, eating lots, partying, presents –
and generally indulging – what’s not to like?
Neil: Indulging – allowing yourself to have
perhaps too much of something you
enjoy. Well, it only happens once a year,
Sam. But for those of us who do celebrate
Christmas, it comes at a price.
Sam: Yes, well buying all those presents
can be expensive.
Neil: Not just that, Sam. I mean it comes
at a cost to the environment, as we’ll
explain shortly.
But let’s start off with a quiz question
for you to answer. In 2010, a Christmas
tree in Belgium was awarded the world
record for having the most lights on it –
but do you know how many? Were there…
a) 19,672, b) 94,672 or c) 194,672.
What do you think, Sam?
Sam: Well, I don’t think you could fit 194, 673
lights on a Christmas tree, so I’ll say a) 19,672.
Neil: OK. Well, we’ll find out how ‘bright’
you are at the end of the programme!
Of course, Christmas trees are the
ultimate Christmas decoration. It’s part of
the Christmas tradition and millions are
bought around the world each year.
But what impact do Christmas trees - real
and artificial - have on the environment?
Sam: Well before we answer that, let’s
hear from some of the BBC Learning English
team who chose to have a real Christmas
tree in their home and find out why…
Phil: Well, you've got the smell of it.
You've got the look of it. But more
importantly, it’s Christmas trees are
supposed to be symbolic, aren't they?
So the idea of something that stays green
all year, so bringing that into your house it,
it means something.
Jiaying: I just think a real Christmas tree
is more festive and more Christmassy.
And it's just the tradition to get a real
Christmas tree, that's all.
Roy: There’s something more beautiful
about the nature, the smell, the feel, the
look of the tree and I like it to be sustainable.
So, as long as I get my tree from a person
that promises to grow two or three in its
place, then I'm really, really happy.
Neil: Yes, I agree – you can’t beat having a
real Christmas tree. And as Phil said, it’s
symbolic – it represents something important
– and here a Christmas tree is the symbol
of Christmas.
Sam: And as Jiaying mentioned, it’s a
tradition – something that’s done regularly
and has become the expected thing to do
– and I’d agree it makes things more festive
– a word to describe the joyful feeling you
get when celebrating something like Christmas.
Neil: But of course all these trees are
often thrown away, which is wasteful.
That's why Roy mentioned his tree being
sustainable – which means
they can continue to be grown and cut
down over a longer period so it’s less
harmful to the environment.
Sam: Well, an alternative to a real
Christmas tree is a fake or artificial one,
which is what Feifei from our team has in
her house. What are the reasons why?
Feifei: We have a plastic Christmas tree,
which we've had for about nine years. So
it's plastic so you can re-use it every year
and it's more economical, and we don't
have to keep buying new trees.
Neil: So Feifei’s fake tree is made of
plastic – so that’s not great for recycling
– but the good thing is she uses it year
after year which makes it economical –
which means it doesn’t cost a lot of
money, it’s good value.
Sam: Ah, but even Feifei admits it doesn’t
have the smell and feel of a real tree. It’s
a dilemma isn’t it, Neil?
Neil: Yes – what’s best for us and what’s
best for the environment? The BBC’s
Reality Check programme found that real
trees take about 12 years to grow and as
they do, they absorb carbon from the
atmosphere and nitrogen from the soil –
so a good thing.
Sam: But when it’s chopped down it starts
to release emissions back into the
atmosphere – especially if you have to
transport it to your home. And when
Christmas is over, if it ends up in landfill,
the tree’s carbon footprint will be higher.
Neil: But its carbon footprint will be
lowered if it’s recycled or composted –
that’s the process of allowing it to decay
and then adding it to the ground to
improve soil quality.
A fake tree on the other hand is usually
imported, and can’t usually be recycled
but, as Feifei mentioned, it can be re-used.
But without any type of Christmas tree,
where would we put all those lights I
mentioned earlier, Sam? I asked you: In
2010, a Christmas tree in Belgium was
awarded the world record for having the
most lights on it – but did you know how
many? What do you say, Sam?
Sam: I think I said 19,672.
Neil: Oh dear, not very bright I’m afraid! There
were in fact 194, 672!
Sam: Wow – think of the electricity that
must have used!
Neil: Indeed. Well let’s enlighten everyone
with some of the vocabulary we’ve
discussed today.
Sam: OK, well we started talking about
'indulging' – that means allowing yourself
to have perhaps too much of something
you enjoy.
Neil: When something is 'symbolic', it
represents something important. And the
word 'festive' describes the joyful feeling
you get when celebrating something like
Christmas.
Sam: Like the festive jumper you are
wearing today, Neil – very jolly!
OK, next we mentioned
'sustainable' – which means the ability to
do something over a long period of time
without harming the environment.
Neil: 'Economical' describes doing
something that doesn’t cost a lot of
money, it’s good value.
Sam: And when something is 'composted',
it is allowed to decay – and it turns into
compost which can be added back into
the soil to improve its quality.
Neil: Thank you, Sam. And that brings us
to the end of 6 Minute English for now. It
just leaves us to wish you a very happy
Christmas. Goodbye.
Sam: Goodbye.