Dreaming of A…Green Christmas?
Photo credit: Steve Winton
We’re all well aware that Christmas is full of red and green- but this year green is all the more prevalent. And what better way to be green than with the greenest aspect of Christmas- the tree! In previous years the common belief has been that purchasing an artificial tree is more eco-friendly than taking a live one away from our natural environment. In recent years it is quite the opposite. The National Christmas Tree Association announced that Americans purchased 33 percent fewer artificial trees in 2008 than in 2007- quite a large decrease. But what are the reasons behind the decline?
The answer resides in the detrimental effects artificial trees pose to our environment. For example, artificial trees never biodegrade. While we are prone to think that because they last for years and therefore save living trees, fake trees lack any biodegradable properties and therefore never break down. That means that when the time does come to toss the old tree out for a new one, it will never really disappear. And what’s worse- the reason artificial trees can stick around is because of their environmentally harmful aspects. Heavy metals and PVC plastics (made from petroleum byproducts) are just two examples of their harmful attributes.
On the contrary, real trees may be transferred a short distance to the backyard where they can become a mini-habitat- or even part of the soil as ground-up mulch. What’s more, the millions of trees planted each year are benefitting us before we even bring them home by absorbing carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, and stabilizing soil. Even the fact that trees can be purchased through local growers contributes to their eco-friendly nature.
So what should we be dreaming of this year? A white Christmas would be nice, but a green one is a little more in our control…and the perfect gift for our environment this holiday season.
To find out more about how to be green this Christmas, click here.
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Very nice article….and besides, real trees look and smell so darn good too.
Since the Noble and Douglas fir trees (primary types of Christmas tree) are specifically farmed for this purpose the loss of this industry to the manufactured tree would likely eliminate the air quality benefits of the six or seven seasons “inventory” currently planted for future Christmas seasons. Millions of beautiful trees not being planted and re-planted!
Thanks Kelley!
Awesome perspective, Kelly! I’ve been hearing a lot of people lately wanting to buy fake Christmas trees for those exact reasons, but I knew there was something that just didn’t feel quite right about it.
I was blown away to read in the Honolulu Advertiser the other day that this year there is a Christmas tree shortage on O’ahu!
It worries me that we are shipping our ‘green’ christmas trees into Hawai’i… when we have some beautiful locally grown Norfolk Island Pines right here!