All I want for Christmas is… an Eco Friendly Tree
Christmas is right around the corner, again! Wasn’t it Halloween yesterday? It’s funny how time flies during the festive season. But this means that families are now on the lookout for the perfect centerpiece for their Christmas Decorations — The Christmas Tree! People usually have a hard time selecting a tree and even more so when trying to choose between a real tree and a fake one. And obviously, it is essential to take the ecological factor into account while making this choice.
One would think that it is better to go for a faux tree, because this means that you are not contributing to the cutting down of trees. But let’s run the pros and cons of both so you can make your decision.
Real Trees
Pros:
Tradition: For some people, it has become a tradition to go and pick trees and the joy of going with your family and picking trees cannot be compared to buying one off the shelf. Of course the authentic fragrance only comes with the real one.
Grown on Farms: Christmas trees are essentially grown on farms, which means that you’re not taking one out of the natural stock. Farmers usually put up new trees in place of the ones which have been cut down. This means that they are sustainable, and that they keep generating more and more oxygen.
Recyclable: When the festival is over and done with, rather than end up in landfill sites, these real trees can be recycled.
Cons:
Allergies: A lot of people get itchy skin and cold like symptoms because of the trees. This allergy cannot be avoided, but the trees can be avoided.
Inaccessible: In many parts of the world, getting a real Christmas tree means getting it imported because it isn’t available in their country. This takes a major toll on your carbon footprint. So it is preferable to buy a real tree only if you can get it easily and it is locally grown.
Safety Hazard: Real trees dry up a lot faster and can be a fire hazard when exposed to heat, if one does not remember to water them everyday.
Artificial Trees
Pros:
No pine mess: An artificial tree makes it less of a hassle to clean and this also eliminates the chances of an allergic reaction taking place. This means that there is nothing which would create hindrance in the festive mood.
Less Expensive: After buying an artificial tree you can keep using it year after year. This means that Christmas just became a lot cheaper.
Cons:
Not Eco-friendly: Fake trees are made from plastic and metal which take a lot of energy to produce and it’s yet more synthetic waste to be disposed of. Also your carbon footprint is much bigger because most artificial trees are produced in China.
Non-recyclable: Artificial trees will most likely end up in a landfill because the kind of non-biodegradable plastic that is used in them cannot be recycled. This means that offsetting the carbon footprint of your artificial tree takes ten years of usage.
Now considering these pros and cons, you can take a call for yourself, whether a real tree or an artificial one makes more sense in your scenario. You could always rent a tree and put it back into nature. Or you could get an artificial tree which would be perfect for your home and keep using it. But it’s your festival, make your own tradition! Families have made Christmas trees out of tumbleweed bushes, coffee pods and other recyclable trash to make a beautiful Christmas tree and be apart from the crowd!
