If your family does Christmas, what kind of tree do you use? If you don’t participate because of commercial exploitation and greed, fair enough, but I’m really curious to hear creative ideas and various views on real vs fake trees. Two years ago we dug up a little sapin de Noel and put it in a pot for later replanting, and unfortunately I not only woke up the tree from dormancy, but also a bunch of poison ivy in the soil that I didn’t notice until it was too late.
Time and again, research shows that real trees beat artificial trees, comparing greenhouse gas emissions, landfill space, and the impact of polyvinyl chloride (the plastic they make the trees with in China). The continual replanting of new trees on farms in preparation for future harvest helps filter air, water, and soil during their life cycles. Real trees can also be recycled more easily than the millions of plastic trees that go to landfills; for instance, in NY, the city picks up the xmas trees and chips them into mulch for Central park. Local, organic xmas trees are the way to go when possible, avoiding pesticides and fuel for transportation. Or you can avoid poison ivy and buy an evergreen with a root ball from a nursery for replanting.
