So, Jon and I have been discussing the upcoming holidays, and I’ve made my request that we have a Christmas tree this year, and not one of the table top variety. This immediately turned to a discussion of whether it’s more environmentally friendly to get a real or fake tree. And then it devolved into Jon declaring he’s the Lorax and speaks for the Christmas tree farm trees that were bred to make people happy on Christmas.
Anyway, we went through the arguments on both sides, and it doesn’t seem that there’s a clear answer. With the real tree, you’re cutting down a tree — that’s obvious. But the tree is biodegradeable in once it hits the landfill and can be recycled.
With the fake tree, you can use it for several years, but when you do get rid of it, it’s going into a landfill somewhere forever. And, I found a crazy article on About.com with the attention grabbing sub head of “Fake Christmas Trees and Cancer” which really isn’t something I would have put on my list of concerns. It’s rather disconcerting though.
I couldn’t really find a definitive answer on the real tree vs. the fake anywhere, except that the best thing to do when possible is to buy a potted tree and plant it afterward. I like that idea myself, but Jon seems to think that’s quite impractical. I’m going to keep working on him. Otherwise, we’ll likely go for the real tree — until Jon changes his mind. 
I’ve actually never had a real tree…my parents always had a fake one when I was growing up (and honestly, I think that thing lasted 10-15 years and still looked pretty good before they threw it out) and I’m not sure Rob’s allergies could handle a real one. Pros and cons to both, for sure. I could see an argument that the real trees are probably technically more eco-friendly…but our fake tree is pretty nice (and pre-lit!) and unless Lennie Briscoe destroys it, I imagine we’ll use it for years to come…
My point is: I think the most eco-friendly option would be to eschew both real and artificial trees this year and make Jon dress up as a Christmas tree instead.
I would have to go with an artifical tree. You will have it for an eternity – saving trees in the long run, plus they don’t shed pine needles (augh). If Jon dresses up like a tree please twitpic it!! ROFL.
I didn’t know about the cancer risks of fake trees, but I’m going to add that into our Christmas tree debate page. Maybe you could try getting a household indoor plant that might look like a Christmas tree (and stay in the house year round)? Great post!
http://www.prweb.com/releases/christmas-tree/environment/prweb1619764.htm.
ok the potted plant idea is genius – definitely looking into that. i guess i can understand the artificial tree argument, but the up-front cost is ridiculous! the nice ones i found were $500-$1000
$500 fake trees?! I didn’t even know those existed. I think ours cost $150. It looks pretty nice (I think)…but I wasn’t particularly picky, so who knows.