A friend in Southern California weighed in with a strong Marxist critique, arguing that “Anybody who looks down on ‘fake’ trees ain’t a friend of the proletariat.” They pointed out that most people don’t live in “some coniferous temperate zone, able to source some live-ass Douglas fir into their house for decorative purposes, much less have the room to squeeze a whole tree into their living space.”. Read the case for both sides, then decide for yourself. All you have to do is go and pick up a real tree, keep it in good condition and water it, and then return it after the festive season. Since real Christmas trees are grown specifically for the holidays, there's no threat of deforestation. "So if you have an artificial tree at home you would need to reuse it for at least 10 Christmases to keep its environmental impact lower than that of a real tree," Kazer told the BBC. They're a sustainable crop like any other natural crop, and the Christmas Tree Promotion Board says, "Christmas tree farmers make sure planting and harvesting are balanced to protect the environment. Sales of fake Christmas trees are rising in the U.S. while real tree sales have been largely stagnant. When my friend was dreading decorating a Christmas tree in the wake of her mother’s death, we hung some garlands and ornaments from the windows instead. The Christmas tree: it’s a quintessential part of the holiday season. For some people, this issue isn’t quite so gray, with real trees beating out fake ones every time. The imitation Christmas trees costs about $100, Rillo said, while a Douglas or Fraser fir costs between $40 to $60, depending on height. Bean has some lovely wreath and centerpiece options, or you can buy or scrounge some boughs locally. But the answer to the question of which version is "better" really lies in how real and fake trees each treat the environment. Chopping down the real thing isn't as harmful as you might think. Sometimes a tree doesn’t have to be a tree. Even if you can’t have or don’t want a tree of your own, you don’t need to feel deprived. This article was originally published on November 18, 2019. But it turns out not all festive trees are made equal — at least not when it comes to environmental friendliness. On the whole you don’t need to worry too much about deforestation when you’re picking out a Christmas tree as certification officer at Soil Association Forestry, Anne Mari Cobb told the Independent the majority, “are grown as a horticultural crop and aren’t felled from pre-existing forests.” So as long as you responsibly recycle or dispose of your Christmas tree, you’ll be helping to reduce its impact on the environment. This content is imported from {embed-name}. I recommend my own approach as one way to have the best of both worlds, but I realize that this particular solution is not available to everyone. For so many people, bringing home a Christmas tree marks the beginning of the festive season. Keep an eye out for insects and excessive dirt, too. If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of a new fake tree, consider getting a vintage one. Chopping down the real thing isn't as harmful as you might think. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, 40 Things to Do With Your Elf on the Shelf, Phew! Avoiding the hassle of fallen needles also means sacrificing the authentic Christmas smell. In this divided climate, I’m either the best or worst person to answer your question, because I’ve found a way to play both sides. The Case for Real Trees. An artificial tree can have less of an environmental impact, but there's a contingency clause: You have to keep it for a minimum of two years — ideally up to nine —the ACTA study reports. Higher quality trees have branches that more closely resemble the real thing. That said, skip the gas-guzzling trip to some wooded wonderland and buy local. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. “There is no way in hell a plastic tree (made from coal or crude oil) produced in a factory in China, and then shipped from China, and then put on, like, five trucks, and then driven home by you, and then eventually thrown in a landfill, is more eco-friendly than cutting a tree from a local tree farm that is always planting more trees (and supporting that local business) and then turning that tree into mulch when you’re done,” observed my environmentally conscious sister, who lives in Portland, Oregon, near many tree farms, and who sent me a link to a New York Times article on why real trees are the greener (pun intended) choice. The stakes are high, and the rhetoric is even higher! A pro-real friend of mine has a pro-fake spouse, and they both refuse to budge. Royal Tannenbaums: How to Pick the Best and Greenest Christmas Tree, You Said It: When to Take Down Your Christmas Tree, Holiday How-to: Super-Mod, Black-and-White Christmas Trees, How to Avoid Spending January Picking Up Christmas Tree Needles. 2020 Bustle Digital Group. Murphy continues: "Real trees may seem an obvious solution, but if you’re only using it for one Christmas, it can have a big impact when you think about the land use to grow it and the emissions from transport." Sincerely, Pining for Answers. Experts explain why. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. And, the longer you keep an artificial tree, the less impact there is on the environment. Research conducted in 2017 found that six million Christmas trees are discarded every year and 14% of people who opted for an artificial tree said they would be binning it after one use. Finally, a quirky Christmas tradition from my youth: If your pets are eating ornaments from the bottom branches or batting them off the tree, bake or buy pet treats in the shape of gingerbread people and hang them like ornaments from the lower boughs. "Buying a potted tree with roots lets you grow it outside and use it again year after year, reducing its environmental impact and costing you less," she says. Producing an artificial tree takes about eight times the energy of growing a live one. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, New York magazine/the Cut, the Paris Review Daily, the Seattle Star, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. There’s also the question of whether fake trees or real trees … I’m not sure about this relationship.’” Eventually that partner came around, but some people aren’t quite as willing to capitulate. If you can see the interior pole through branches, it might not be the best choice. It looked like it had wandered in from an enchanted forest. Although I have never gotten my own real tree, there’s something about the combination of the scent and the glow that is magic to me like nothing else. equivalent to 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions. Growing up, my siblings and I used to sleep in the living room by the tree on Christmas Eve, and even in my 40s I still do.

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