Environmental

Real Christmas Trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, cleanses our air and water and provides animal habitats.  It is a natural way of combating the carbon footprint left by the demands of our local society.
Each holiday season, there is much debate whether it is better to use a REAL Christmas Tree or an artificial one.  The following table compares the two and is conclusive evidence that REAL CHRISTMAS trees are really the best environmental choice.
Insert the table here….. as edited by me.
PURCHASING A REAL CHRISTMAS TREE SUPPORTS A U.S.-BASED FARMER.
Need something re recycling here also.

Real Christmas Trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, cleanses our air and water and provides animal habitats.  It is a natural way of combating the carbon footprint left by the demands of our local society.

Each holiday season, there is much debate whether it is better to use a REAL Christmas Tree or an artificial one.  The following table compares the two and is conclusive evidence that REAL CHRISTMAS trees are really the best environmental choice.

Real Trees

Artificial Trees
PLACE OF ORIGIN
  • United States & Canada
  • 85% from China
METHOD OF PRODUCTION
  • farming
  • factory
  • planting takes place Jan-May
  • raw materials sent to factory & assembled into final product
  • estimated 40-45 million trees planted in 2008 in North America
  • product is shipped to U.S. then distributed to stores
  • estimated 446 million trees growing on farms in U.S.
  • number of factories unknown
  • tree farms support complex eco-systems
  • factories only consume natural resources
COMPONENTS
  • plant tissue
  • plastics and metals
  • 100% biodegradable
  • non-biodegradable
PVC FREE?
  • Yes
  • No
LEAD FREE?
  • Yes
  • No (lead is used in the process of making PVC plastic)
CARBON NEUTRAL?
  • Yes
  • No
  • trees absorb carbon dioxide
  • plastic is a petroleum byproduct
  • when decomposing, carbon, nitrogen and other elements are released into soil
CHEMICALS?
  • No
  • Yes
  • Scientists have measured cut Christmas trees for chemical residue and not found any significant amounts
  • PVC itself is a dangerous chemical
  • Many different insects, fungi and parasites can attack and kill trees, so farmers may use pesticides to keep consumers’ trees healthy and alive until harvest
  • Manufacture of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, the most toxic man-made chemical known
  • Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, a potential risk for causing cancer, damaging immune functions and impairing children’s development
DISPOSAL
  • Recycled
  • Landfill
  • Used trees can be recycled in
    a variety of ways
  • Fake trees can’t be recycled and end up in landfills
  • Decomposing trees add nutrients back into the earth
  • All of the accumulated fake trees are a burden to the environment indefinitely
RENEWABLE RESOURCE?
  • Yes
  • No
  • New trees are planted every year
  • Petroleum, used to make plastic, is a non-renewable resource, as are metals
ECO-FRIENDLY?
  • Yes
  • Definitely NOT

Source: National Christmas Tree Association

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
- Aldo Leopold

PURCHASING A REAL CHRISTMAS TREE SUPPORTS ALL U.S.-BASED FARMERS.