Our daughter Coral enjoying our artificial Christmas Tree. © Levi Novey
In the past when I visited people during the holidays and saw that they were using artificial Christmas trees rather than real ones, I thought they were just being lazy. The only reason they didn’t want a real one I figured was because they either didn’t have space for a real tree, didn’t want to clean up pine needles, or were cheap.
I believed real trees were much better. They help bring nature into ours home and generally smell nice. The holiday ritual of going to buy a Christmas tree with friends or family members also has its charms, especially if you choose to go to a farm or a forest and cut down the tree on your own.These things being said, I now understand that I used to have rather misguided preconceptions about artificial Christmas trees.
This past year was my first Christmas in Peru, and it’s a country where almost everyone uses fake plastic trees rather than real ones. It makes sense economically. Why should people buy a new tree each year, especially when most people don’t have a lot of money? I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of using an artificial tree (I hate artificial plants with a passion), but when in Rome do as Romans do (or in this case Lima).
We decided to use my mother in law’s tree, which was stored in dusty boxes in her house. No one else had time last year, so I alone had the task of putting the tree together. What I found out surprised me.
The Benefits of Artificial Christmas Trees
Much like a kid putting together a new box of Legos on Christmas morning, assembling the tree was fun. It was kind of like a game trying to figure out which pieces went on top and to the side. I also discovered that putting the ornaments on the tree was easy– they rarely fell off because the branches were not as weak as they sometimes are on real trees. Once I was finished, I also was able to move the tree easily to where I thought it would look best in the room.
Throughout the holidays, I found that I enjoyed looking at the tree as much as I would a real one. My young daughter seemed to agree. She loved having the tree in the house.
When I finally took down the tree, it wasn’t a hassle whatsoever. It sure felt better than taking the tree outside, dumping it in the forest somewhere to decay, and then coming back to sweep up the remains inside. It was also at this point that I first thought about the environmental benefits of having an artificial tree.
It seemed taboo to even think about the environmental impact of Christmas trees, but it makes sense that the fewer we cut down the better. There would of course be trade-offs if we all switched to artificial trees, like having lots of additional plastic around– and do we really need that? But in the long-term, it seems like it might beneficial to create a better balance, at least in the United States.
This year I’m excited to put up our family’s artificial Christmas tree. That’s my message, plain and simple. If you want to try something a little more convenient this year (and the next), consider an artificial Christmas tree. They really aren’t that bad.
See also: 9 Ways to Have a Greener Christmas
This is a nice sentiment, but unfortunately artificial trees are extremely un-green. They are manufactured using petroleum and other nasty toxic chemicals. Not to mention the pollution petroleum plants output on a daily basis.
If you really want to go green, buy a LIVE tree, which is in pot. Once the holidays are over, you can either opt to keep it indoors or plant it outside.
I think the biggest factor comes down to which type of tree you prefer. Live tree lovers have valid green points as do fake tree lovers.
Erin, thanks for your perspective. I tend to agree that for Americans, planting a live tree would be ideal, but that it’s also an unrealistic goal. Remember that a large portion of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, and that planting a tree afterward would be logistically challenging. For those who own property or who could plant a tree elsewhere though it’s a great idea.
I also think that the “science” on comparing the impact of artificial trees to live ones is on the side of live ones, but still not 100% conclusive. For instance, a quick study of wikipedia’s entry on Christmas trees gives you an idea that all artificial trees are not made of the same materials: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree
Could they be made from recyclable materials?
Absolutely! Are they right now? Probably most aren’t and aren’t perfect for the environment (but how many things are?).
Also check out this site and who is running it. It’s pretty clear propaganda. These kinds of sites only add to the efforts of each industry (tree growers, plastic tree makers) to propagate myths about the other: http://www.christmastree.org/debate.cfm
Moving to a global perspective, where I live in Peru we don’t have a lot of forests. Lima is in the desert. While trees do grow here, they are not abundant and probably aren’t species conducive to serving as Christmas Trees. The live trees that are available probably come from the Amazon Rainforest, that definitely doesn’t need any more deforestation than it already has.
So, in other words, some parts of the world where Christmas is celebrated don’t have abundant forests or tree farms, and/or places that would be appropriate necessarily to plant trees.
A mix of environmentally friendly practices is thus needed as a solution.
I’ve never had a real tree, maybe the fact that I’m South American (Colombian) has something to do with that. However, I also don’t see the reason for cutting down a tree just so you can put one in your house for one month then throw it away. That’s so wasteful! Even though you have to find a place to store the tree during the rest of the year, it’s much more economic to purchase one tree for say $30-50 then use it for five or more years.
I can see there there are points to be made on both sides of this discussion. I’ve never owned an artificial tree. Here in the U.S. it seems more environmentally friendly to purchase a live tree. They are generally grown on farms for this purpose. (Not like you’re going into the forest and cutting down a tree). In the US, a key factor would be how far is the tree traveling to get to your hometown. To reduce the carbon footprint of your live tree purchase, always ask where the trees are from and make your decision accordingly. Try to purchase locally. Also,live trees are not always just “dumped” after the holidayas. Many communities have programs to recycle live trees and turn them into mulch. I love the idea of artificial trees being constructed of recycle materials. Hopefully this in our near future, since many people seem attached to their “fake” trees. Happy Holidays!
Artificial Trees:
Cons:
Made overseas, uses petrol to ship
Made from petrol materials (plastic)
Made from unrecyclable materials (plastic, metal)
WILL eventually end up at landfill (even 100 years from now… it WILL)
Pros:
Reusable
Real Tree (cut down)
Cons:
If you do not recycle it into a lake or use as mulch then you have wasted a “natural” resource (like throwing away raw wood or leaves).
It used a bit of land to grow (but see below)
It used water to grow
Pros:
Usually grown and harvested relatively locally for most areas (at least within state)
Although it used land, most Xmas trees are planted on land which could not otherwise be used for anything else (hard soil, only tree-bearing topsoil)
Provides a source for Oxygen (and recycling that CO2, as trees usually do)
Possibly provides a great aquatic habitat if it gets recycled into a lake afterwards
Makes great mulch material to insulate your plant beds (if mulched)
Real Tree (planted with roots)
Cons
Could have been planted, grown, and then shipped from almost anywhere (possible unwarranted use of petrol)
Comes in a non-recyclable container
Believe it or not, Xmas tree varieties are difficult to keep alive in a planter, and even more difficult to transfer into the ground (for the common person… I’ve heard LOTS of stories of well-intended people who “kill” their tree accidentally before they can transplant it)
Pros
If you can keep it alive, and if your climate zone is right, you can plant it.
Your new tree may provide a new habitat for birds and squirrels.
Next year, you can just dress up that tree outside instead of buying a new potted tree… or will you?
There’s LOTS to consider here, folks. LOTS.
This seems well-intentioned, but it is false. Almost all real trees are farmed, and tree farms plant at least one, and as many as three, to replace the ones that are cut down. Most importantly, they are biodegradable, and as others have mentioned many towns recycle them for other purposes, like mulch. The bottom line is even if a person or family uses an artificial tree for generations, it will eventually end up in a landfill. If someone already has an artificial tree, than using it for as long as possible is probably the most green solution, but if the decision is between buying an artificial tree or buying a real one, real ones win out. It’s somewhat counter-intuitive and many well-meaning people probably buy artificial trees thinking they’re doing the environment a favor, which is understandable, but actively promoting artificial trees as a green solution is untrue and dangerous. More info from the Sierra Club: http://sierraclub.typepad.com/mrgreen/2008/12/a-real-or-fake-christmas-tree-which-is-greener.html
I don’t know if i could give up a real tree… RT @greenupgrader Why Artificial Christmas Trees Are Worth Considering http://bit.ly/6DRc5w
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Why Artificial Christmas Trees Are Worth Considering: In the past when I visited people during the holidays and.. http://bit.ly/65EjSs
This comment was originally posted on Twitter