Real verses plastic - Which is the more sustainable option?

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Every December, the age-old (or at least since PVC was invented) debate arises over whether it is more environmentally-friendly to purchase a reusable artificial tree or to cut living tree to decorate for the Christmas holidays. Obviously, the best option would be no tree at all but I suspect very few of us would forego our favourite Christmas icon in the name of environmental stewardship. So, what is a conscientious 'Christmas tree-hugger' to do? Here are a few reasons why the real Christmas tree comes out ahead of its plastic counterpart...

Real

    1. Improves air, water and soil quality. 
    Evergreens produce oxygen year round  - one acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people! They also act as a carbon sink (forests absorb carbon dioxide added by fossil fuels). Trees also stabilize the soil, protect water supplies and provide a home for many wild animals.

    2. Evergreens are a renewable resource.
    Every spring, new saplings are planted to replace those cut down the previous winter. Cutting a tree at a farm is not the same as cutting a tree in the woods. Like other crops, Christmas trees are planted with the intention that they will one day be harvested. In many cases, Christmas tree farms are located in areas that are not suitable for other crops due to poor soil conditions. At the end of their cycle, rather than going to landfill, Christmas trees are often turned into mulch continuing their benefits to the Earth.




    3. It's starting to smell a lot like Christmas...
    It has been shown that our sense of smell is strongly tied to memory. The scent of a fresh pine tree in your living room is bound to invoke that nostalgic feeling of the holidays in even the grinchiest of people!



    4. You are supporting a local farmer.
    When you purchase your tree from a cut-your-own farm, you are supporting the livelihood of a farmer in your community. While real trees are available for sale at big box stores, they have often travelled hundreds of miles to get to you. When you pick your tree at a farm, you know where it came from!

Plastic

  1. 1. Pollutes air, water and soil.
    Most artificial Christmas trees are made from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). Dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride, are generated during the production of PVC, polluting neighbourhoods located near factory sites.

     

    2. PVC is a petrochemical-based product.
    PVC is one of the most environmentally harmful forms of non-renewable, petroleum-derived plastic. Creating PVC produces toxic wastes and it is not biodegradable - it's Christmas time at the landfill forever! To make matters worse, Vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make your Christmas tree, is a known human carcinogen. Workers in PVC manufacturing facilities and residents of surrounding communities  are at risk from exposure to these chemicals. Negative health impacts include cancer, birth defects, diabetes, learning and developmental delays, endometriosis, and immune system abnormalities. That's not the gift we want to be giving to our fellow man at Christmas time.


    3. It's starting to smell a lot like...shower curtains?
    When you pull that new tree out of its box, it's not Christmas time you are smelling. That plastic smell is offgassing - the release of the plasticizer or stabilizer into the air (and your lungs!). Of course, you can always purchase room sprays to mimic the scent of a real tree. But do you really want to add even more chemicals to your living environment? 


    4. You are supporting...?
    Most artificial trees are imported from overseas. This means a portion of your dollar is leaving Canada instead of supporting our local economy. In addition, worker and environmental standards are often substandard to those in Canada. The price of your tree may be cheap but the cost to people and the environment is high.
There you have it! Convinced to switch to real yet? Some of you may be thinking that these arguments are all well and good but you still have to get in your car, trudge through snow, saw through a thick tree trunk and haul an awkward bundle of needles home with you, all while your phalanges are developing frostbite. To this, I like to quote a very wise man named Clark from a classic movie called Christmas Vacation - "That's all part of the experience, honey".
Merry Christmas! See you at the farm!