A couple of years ago I bought an artificial Christmas tree. I found it more convenient, although maybe not as fun, as going to a tree farm and cutting my own. For me, it was really frustrating trying to cut the trunk, then to get it to stand straight. But I still have fun decorating the tree. Unlike my Aunt who bought an artificial tree, decorated it once, attached wheels on the bottom and simply rolls it out of her closet and plugs it in come December 1st…true story. Actually I think it’s pretty creative considering she’s a busy woman.
Before we all go out and steal my Aunt’s idea 
here are some statistics we should consider before buying a Christmas tree:
- 28.2 Million is the number of real Christmas trees sold in the United States in 2008.
- 5.8 Pounds of pesticides sprayed on an acre of Christmas trees each year in North Carolina. To find sellers of organic, pesticide-free trees near you, go to GreenPromise.com/Resources and click on Organic Christmas Tree Farms.
- 8.9 Million artificial trees were imported into the U.S. in 2008 (most of them from China).
- 7.3 Pounds of plastic—mostly polyvinyl chloride, or PVC—contained in a typical artificial tree. Read more about PVC plastic here: http://www.chej.org/BESAFE/pvc/
- 20 Years is the amount a consumer must reuse an artificial tree before it has a lower carbon footprint than a real tree.
- 1 Ton is the estimated amount of carbon the average conifer tree can absorb over 60 years. Cities where you can “rent” a tree that will be replanted for you after the holidays include Portland, Oregon (LivingChristmasTrees.org), San Diego (AdoptaChristmasTree.com), and San Francisco (SFEnvironment.org/greenchristmas).
- 600,000 is the approximate number of U.S. homes that could be powered for an entire year with the energy used by decorative lights every holiday season. Switch from incandescent lights to longer-lasting LEDs and you’ll use about 90 percent less energy per string. To recycle your old incandescents, go to HolidayLEDs.com.
- 4,000 is the approximate number of tree recycling centers nationwide. Go to Earth911.com to find out where your tree can be turned into compost or wood chips (for gardening, mulch, or use on playgrounds and hiking trails).
Happy Holidays everyone!!
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