For some families, it’s a holiday tradition: pack into the car to pick out their authentic Christmas tree, but one Hamilton environmentalist started a project to get people planting a Christmas tree instead of cutting one down.

Peter Ormond, who has a masters in environmental engineering and is passionate about preserving the planet, sees the whole idea of Christmas trees as wasteful.

Instead of chopping down trees, Ormond is encouraging people to plant more. Peter shelled out $1,400 for baby white spruce trees and is handing them out to whoever is interested.

Peter shared his project online and it didn’t take long to sprout roots.

Theresa Horak, who works at McMaster Innovation Park, is a big reason why the trees have been flying out of Peter’s door.

While it could have paid for a warm-weather vacation, Ormond may have ‘planted the seed’ for growing movement.

Peter says it’s best to keep the trees out of the harsh winter windchill and to keep them in a shed or a safe area on a balcony and then in the spring plant the tree into the ground.