O Tannenbaum

Recently, NPR posted this article referencing a new, efficient way of lighting a Christmas tree. When one truly thinks about it, there is certainly a whole lot of waste that goes into the holiday season, particularly Christmas trees. In many parts around the city of Chicago, one would be hard-pressed to travel more than a few miles without spotting a couple lots that are selling live Christmas trees. These trees are not grown locally, so they definitely travel a ways to get here. All of that transportation, coupled with the destruction of whatever ecosystem the trees came from, is disturbing. Sure, a lot of these trees are grown on farms that grow them specifically for the holiday season. Unfortunately, animals and other living creatures around these farms may not recognize this. Furthermore, the farms often use pesticides and herbicides to keep the trees in shape, and this has obviously been proven to be harmful to the environment and ecosystem.

So what is the consumer's other option? A plastic tree is the most common alternative. Unfortunately, the vast majority of American plastic Christmas trees come from China. So not only are we purchasing something that has traveled across an ocean and then thousands of miles to get here, but it is made from a material that is difficult to recycle, and is also often sprayed with toxins to keep shape. Not to but a damper on holiday spirits, but there really aren't many inexpensive alternatives, if any at all.

So while there may not be a green alternative that looks like a 'green tree' one could construct their own tree from recycled paper, purchase an organic wreath (local, and fair trade if possible), and one could also purchase a three-dimensional tree. Unless one lives in an area with pine trees aplenty that they can easily cut down and plant another one, the safest bet is to ditch the tree and start a new, eco-friendly tradition. Or use a hand-me-down plastic tree. Happy Holidays!