Christmas tree collection notices are out in town. The town’s website reminds residents to remove all decorations, nails, tree stands, and plastic tree bags from their trees before placing them for collection. It’s important to ensure that the tree is not buried under snow, as the town will not pick it up: “Please note that crews are unable to dig out a tree or climb a snow bank to retrieve a tree.” If necessary, cut the tree into pieces to ensure it can be collected.
Every year in Canada, millions of trees are cut down to be displayed as Christmas trees in our homes. It’s a shame to take a fully grown tree from nature for this purpose. We place the tree on life support for a few weeks, adding extra weight with decorations. If I had a choice to be a tree, no matter how prestigious my role was, I would never want to be a Christmas tree. It just seems like such a waste to grow a beautiful, full-sized tree only to be used for a short time and then discarded.
I don’t mean to be a Grinch or a Scrooge. We have a Christmas tree at home, but it’s artificial. It’s an option many of us can consider, and the tree can be just as beautiful as a real one. Plus, it can save you money in the long run, along with a few other benefits.
There’s also the environmental advantage. Evergreen trees play an important role in improving air quality. They evolved to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, so they are effective at filtering out pollutants as well.
In addition, “Tree canopies intercept and capture rainfall, reducing the amount that reaches the ground. In urban and suburban settings, a single deciduous tree can intercept between 500 and 760 gallons per year, while a mature evergreen can intercept over 4,000 per year.” – Source.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an evergreen tree seedling planted on your lawn and decorate it every Christmas? Not only would it be a sustainable tradition, but you’d also be nurturing a tree that can grow strong and thrive year after year. Over time, it could become a living symbol of your family’s holiday memories, and you’d be giving back to the environment by planting a tree that improves air quality and provides habitat for wildlife. It would be a truly meaningful and lasting way to celebrate the season.
It’s true that when you buy a real Christmas tree, you’re not typically going into the forest to cut one down yourself. Most of the evergreens are farmed, and they’re treated with pesticides to prevent bugs and pests. So, when you bring home that fresh tree, you’re also bringing along whatever pesticides were used to treat it. After the holidays, when the tree is recycled into the soil, those pesticides go right back into the earth.
The artificial Christmas tree option, while not perfect, does avoid these concerns. No pesticides, no additional environmental cost in terms of farming. Over the years, the cost of an artificial tree may balance out with the savings and the reduced impact on the environment.
Some might argue that real trees are more eco-friendly in the long run, and while that’s a valid point, it’s also important to consider all factors, including the hidden costs. So, it’s really up to you. As I see it, choosing an artificial tree for your holiday celebrations could be the more sustainable and cost-effective option in the long term. It’s $50 or $100 you can save and put toward something else—just something to think about.
COMMENTS
Marvin said: January 17, 2012 at 14:55
“I agree, growing a tree for 20 years only to kill it and use its corpse for a month is terribly wasteful. Plus the pesticides, good point! We use an artificial tree too. We have three or four, including aluminum ones from the 1950s.”
