Eco-Friendly Friday Tips Volume Twenty Five

This entry is part 25 of 29 in the series Eco-Friendly Friday

November 28th's Tip

Christmas Trees: Stuck between choosing a real Christmas tree or a fake one? Here is some information to help you decide.

Fake trees are made of PVC, which causes a lot of pollution during production, and may contain dangerous levels of lead.
Fake trees are not biodegradable or recyclable.
There area bout 5000 choose and cut Christmas tree farms in the U.S., and for every real tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place (1)
85% of fake trees are imported from China (2)
Buying a real tree from a locally managed tree farm helps support your local economy.

Buying a real tree may sound counter-productive to environmentalism, but purchasing from a tree farm set up for the purpose of growing Christmas trees is not going to harm forests. These farms are set up for this purpose, and are growing new trees as others are cut, continuously renewing the supply of trees. Ask your local tree farm if their trees are grown organically (or, alternatively, search Local Harvest for organic tree farms).

Stay tuned for December 26th's Eco-Friendly Friday to learn how to recycle your real tree rather than throwing it away.

For more information on fake trees and why they may not be the best choice, visit National Christmas Tree Association.

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This post was written by Stefanie.

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4 Responses to “Eco-Friendly Friday Tips Volume Twenty Five”

1Kelly Pro
December 1st, 2008 at 5:42 am

Thanks for sharing. I was always in confusion on this question. I really thought it was better to buy fake trees, but with these facts i will change my decision on next Christmas tree shopping.
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2Mark @ the anniversary gifts
December 1st, 2008 at 8:34 pm

I need a new tree this year since our basement flooded this last spring when the sump pump failed, ruining everything not on a shelf. I was going to buy a fake tree because like Kelly I thought a fake tree was better for the environment.

So after reading this I guess it's going to be a real tree this year. I know there is tree farm near here that sell Christmas trees with the roots in a ball, after the holidays you then plant the tree and I could use a few more trees. Win Win eh.
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3CarlosG
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm

What about using the same tree you used the last year? Is it possible to put it in your garden for all the year?
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4Stefanie
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:28 pm

Kelly, many people think it's better to buy fake trees, which is why it's important to spread the information.

Mark, I'm sorry to hear about your basement! The tree farm sounds like a great idea

Carlos, I'm not sure if that's possible, I'd imagine it might be stressful on the tree.
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About keyword names: I will delete your comment if it is evident you are only posting it for a free link. I don't mind if you do not use your real name, as long as you are posting a real comment that contributes something.