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Real versus fake. The debate over which is better has gone on for decades. It’s a sensitive topic for many, especially around this time of year. I’m talking about Christmas trees, people. What did you think?
Naturally, there are pros and cons to both sides.
Artificial trees have an interesting history, starting off as toilet bowl brushes and evolving into the pre-lit, musical doppelgangers now found in Walmart and Wegmans the day after Halloween. They can look pretty real…or they can look like the one pictured here.
Artificials also save from the expense of buying a tree every year, and they’re convenient to store and assemble.
Yet the environmental downsides of artificial trees lie in their manufacturing and shipping. They are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other materials that aren’t biodegradable. So when they do wear out, they’ll be decorating landfills for generations to come. Many times they’re also made in China, which means they do plenty of travelling before landing in your living room.
In contrast, real trees are made from (spoiler alert) wood. So even if you feel squeamish about taking a saw to a real tree, they can be turned into mulch. The Town of Henrietta ran a treecycling program last year. Hopefully they’ll do the same for 2012.
Potted trees are also gaining traction, as they can be planted in the spring (or Dec. 26, the way this month is shaping up).
The big win for real trees comes from the relatively short distance it travels from farm to home. And when you buy from a farm or lot, you’re supporting the local economy.
Environmental concerns aside, I’ll take a real tree any day. Part of the magic of the season is the ritual of finding a perfectly imperfect tree, slugging it home, wrangling the lights like some LED-illuminated python, and (after a few well-placed curses in my case) enjoying the fruits of your holiday efforts.
In the end, whichever variety you chose this year, the important thing is that you have a happy, healthy, safe and sustainable holiday season!
As a long-time environmental enthusiast, Josh Thines has never actually hugged a tree, but he does get pretty excited learning and writing about new ways to preserve them.
