Fake trees: More green than real? Reggie Casagrande/Getty Images
DCL
When it comes to eco-identities for food -- vegetarian, vegan, locavore, etc. -- qualifications and gray area abound. "I'm a pescatarian." "I eat meat, but only local meat." Camps are not so hazily defined for Christmas trees however, where people tend to fall firmly on either side of one line: Fake or real?
It's too late to pick your tree this year, but before you haul yours outside for curbside pick-up (or back to the attic for storage), take a minute to consider your 2010 options. Fake tree fans argue that their version can be reused again and again each year, thus sparing trees from being chopped down for a mere month or so of enjoyment. Real tree users however remind us that only their version can be recycled, thus sparing landfills from getting clogged with plastic memories of Christmas past. We decided to investigate the environmental impact of each type, and while we're at it, encourage one uber-green option (living tree rental) that West Coasters are already all over. With more support, we'd love to see this choice spread nationwide.
The scoop on fake trees:
So convenient. No clean-up. And, look at you - saving living trees!
But here's the deal. Artificial trees are made from nonrenewable petroleum, and are often shipped halfway around the world - substantially deepening your carbon footprint. According to About.com, fake trees also:
- Require polyvinyl chloride (or PVC, otherwise known as vinyl), one of the most environmentally offensive forms of petroleum-derived plastic.
- Generate several known carcinogens during the production of PVC, including dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride, polluting neighborhoods located near factory sites.
- Use hefty carbon emissions to get here. Most factory sites for fake trees are based in China, where 85 percent of those sold in North America originate.
- Contain lead and other additives to make the otherwise PVC more malleable. These additives have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage in lab studies on animals.
Terrified yet? Ready to run out and ax a tree yourself? Not so fast - read below for the environmental impact of buying a real tree.
The scoop on real trees:
Most of us connect a real Christmas tree with nostalgia. Quaint visions of hiking in the snow, the distinct smell of pine needles...
But. Before you get all Andy Griffith, consider these facts before buying a real tree:
- According to The Globe and Mail, conventionally-grown trees are laden with pesticides.
- The same article points out that industrial tree farms are monocultures, which diminishes the area's potential for biodiverstiy.
- They present more of a fire hazard than a fake tree.
- As a recent Columbus Dispatch story pointed out, real Christmas trees can wreak havoc on allergy sufferers.
- Bottom line: you're killing a tree. As famed photographer (and child of the Depression) Frank Godden said in the Los Angeles Times last month, "It looks to me like a stack of dead bodies. Why kill all those trees?"
The rental tree?
These days, more folks are able to rent a living Christmas tree - a potted tree that is dropped off at your house, picked up after the holidays, and whisked away to be re-planted. It's typically pricier than either fake or a (conventional) real tree, but the upshots are numerous, allowing you to sidestep the tricky environmental question marks surrounding both.
West Coasters are particularly blessed with rent-a-tree services, and hopefully the trend will spread elsewhere:
SAN DIEGO: Adopt A Christmas Tree
LOS ANGELES: The Living Christmas Company
MONTEREY/SANTA CRUZ/SANTA CLARA: Rent a Living Christmas Tree
SAN FRANCISCO: Friends of the Urban Forest
PORTLAND, OR: The Original Living Christmas Tree Company
If you don't live within the delivery area of a Christmas tree rental company, we'd love to hear from you Planet Green readers: Real or fake? What's your call?
