With Christmas around the corner, most of us will be heading out to get a Christmas Tree in the coming weeks. I love the look and smell of a real tree, but after seeing so many dead Christmas trees on the curb come January every year, I got to wondering, what is better for the environment, a real or fake Christmas tree?
After reading countless articles, it appears that a real tree is a more environmentally friendly option. Fake trees are made with PVC and many have traces of lead meaning they can be toxic. I found out you need to be very careful with older, fake trees because of the lead. If kids are playing around older trees and bumping into them, there is the chance lead particles can be released into the air and inhaled. And because of what they are made with, they are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable.And since most are made in China, their carbon footprint is quite large.
The pros of a real Christmas tree is that they are typically grown for that sole purpose so don't they negatively impact the health of a forest and 93% of all trees are recycled. Denver does a great job of collecting old Christmas trees to use as mulch that residents can use come next spring. Unfortunately most Christmas trees are grown with harmful pesticides which is the worst part about them. But, if you buy an organic tree then you can avoid this problem.
And while a lot of energy is used to grow and transport real Christmas trees, an acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people a day. So while the earth lost the equivalent of the eastern United States in trees the past 10 years, it is nice to have this oxygen being produced while the Christmas trees grow. Combining all these factors, real Christmas trees appear to be an Earth friendlier option.
If these two options just aren't green enough for you, then depending on where you live, you could always take part in the Rent a Tree Program. With these programs, you rent a potted, live tree and when the season is over, they are planted in the forest. I couldn't find this program in Denver but who knows, maybe in the coming years the demand will be great enough that it turns into an option.
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