A GREENER Christmas Tree

First at MLH and in Sri Lanka:

We could say rain rain go away...come again another day! But alas no matter how many times the people said it, it didn't go away and it didn't also stop the spirits of people who were waiting eagerly for the lighting of the Christmas Tree at Mount Lavinia Hotel and begin the Christmas celebrations of 2011.

MLH unveiled magic, mystery and mirth of the seasons as they commenced the iconic yuletide festivities with the symbolic lighting of the first recycled Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day.

Approximately 25 million-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the world every year. An acre of living Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen for 18 people. Eighty percent of artificial trees are manufactured in China, and most are made with PVC and other plastics, which do not biodegrade and which contain enough lead to legally require a warning label.

While there isn't much that says Christmas like a decked out tree, every year the world over is saddened by the waste and loss of life that goes into the usual cut-down-and-dress-up trees that most people buy from the streets of Colombo or drive all the way to the hill country to purchase the best tree. Fortunately, there are kinder and greener options for Christmas trees that really aren't too difficult to implement at all, if one is just willing to rethink antiquated traditions and realize that the holiday spirit doesn't need to mean going to the tree lot to chop down a tree.

Every year one gets frustrated to hear the same old same old 'plastic tree' versus 'cut tree" debate - when the most environmentally friendly option by far is simply to get a living tree instead. Nowadays, most of us recycle. As always, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Some people are just more creative than others, and indeed MLH's own Engineering Team definitely found a very unique way to celebrate Christmas and in a greener way. This truly "green" tree was constructed from materials like jute, newspapers, flour and even cement, just a few to mention. This Christmas tree is both environmentally friendly and clever. In fact, it looks pretty cool. Who says sustainable awareness cannot also be attractive?

Mount Lavinia Hotel celebrated their launch of the season by giving thanks in a special way on Thanksgiving Day, to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Friends and partners from the Business community, very good friends from the media, and guests of the hotel.

The greatest part of the evening was when all four religious dignitaries came together with GM Anura Dewpura and lit the tree, with fireworks and bagpipers exalting the evening. Voice Print did justice too to the evening with their soulful acapella voices brining out their colours in true spirit.

Finally in Anura's speech he said, "May the lighting of the Mount Lavinia Hotel's Christmas tree ablaze the flame in your heart, to spread peace, harmony, happiness, hope, love and abundance to others...was most fit".

Before tossing out your trash, go take a look at MLH's recycled Christmas Tree and enjoy iconic traditions synonymous to Mount Lavinia Hotel and world over."