Today we’d like to introduce you to Athena Haritatos.
Athena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Adopt A Christmas Tree has been running in San Diego for 10 seasons now. We save hundreds of trees from being cut down each season while still giving San Diegans an eco-friendly way of having a living tree for Christmas. Millions of trees are cut down in the name of Christmas each year so that people can enjoy the fresh smell and feeling of a real tree.
We knew there was a better way to have a living, gorgeous smelling Christmas tree without having to chop it down. So, we created our adoption program where customers adopt a living, potted Christmas Tree for the holiday season – they water it and dress it up with ornaments and lights. Our festive, singing elves from the North Pole help with a hassle-free delivery of trees to homes and businesses throughout San Diego County starting the day after Thanksgiving.
It’s easy for our customers to fall in love their tree and decide to keep them. If they don’t keep their tree, our elves pick up the remaining trees for free at the end of the season and we work with local partners to re-plant them in nearby fire devastated areas and animal sanctuaries like Fund for Animals.
I went to the University of San Diego and majored in Environmental Studies and always knew I wanted to put my passion to work. It is so exciting and fulfilling to be part of an environmentally focused business venture in my local San Diego. We are so proud and fortunate to be saving and replanting trees every season! We couldn’t do it without our amazing customers who are also passionate about saving trees.
Adopt A Christmas Tree has also been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Kind Life with Alicia Silverstone, Inhabitat.com, and Design Observer. Some of our incredible eco-conscious celebrity customers include Jason Mraz and Chef Marcela Valladolid.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have certainly been challenges along the way. Our biggest challenge is that people just don’t know we exist and that we have this great eco-friendly Christmas Tree service available. They are used to a cut tree or an artificial tree.
Our customers find us because they’ve heard about us from our existing customers or they are personally seeking out a way to make a bigger impact on the environment by wanting a potted, living tree for Christmas. It is up to us to educate the public and let them know that we are here. A better option does exist and our elves can’t wait to be of service!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Adopt A Christmas Tree – what should we know?
We adopt out living, potted Christmas Trees for the holidays. Our festive, singing elves deliver Christmas trees and set them up in your home or business. After the holidays, our customers can keep their tree (many of them do) for no extra cost. If they don’t keep their adopted tree, our elves pick them up (for free) and donate them to wildlife sanctuaries and local organizations like Habitat for Humanity to be planted in San Diego and surrounding areas.
We offer an eco-friendly Christmas tree option that is festive, fun, and hassle-free. Let our elves do the heavy lifting. Enjoy all the plusses of a live tree (gorgeous scents, for example) without the guilt of cutting one down.
We also sell living eco-friendly succulent wreaths!
With the help of our amazing and loyal customers, we are proud to share that we have saved thousands of trees over our 10 seasons of adoptions.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The biggest thank you’s go out to our customers and all of our elves for their commitment to our cause and to spreading holiday cheer.
My family has been a huge support and I’d like to give a special thank you to my father who has been there every step of the way and to my mother who was my biggest fan in every way before she passed away a few months ago. My parents were successful entrepreneurs for decades and their passion and drive is contagious.
Pricing:
- Tree adoptions start at $147.20 before October 30th and $184.00 after October 31st
- Living Eco-Friendly Succulent Wreaths for $89.60 before October 30th and $112.00 after October 31st
Contact Info:
- Website: http://adoptachristmastree.com/
- Phone: 8582618397
- Email: orders@adoptachristmastree.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoptachristmastree/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdoptAChristmasTree/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/adopt-a-christmas-tree-san-diego-2
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=adopt+a+christmas+tree&oq=adopt+a+christmas+tree&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3j69i65j0.4448j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x80d955a5f1a496c3:0x7b8e4f7ccc791088,1,,
Image Credit:
Malin McLeod
Christine McDannell
Athena Haritatos
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