Green Christmas Tree Debate: Fake or Real?

The Green Answer is? Cut Down the TREE!!!!

It may be counterintuitive but when it comes to the great real vs. artificial debate, real Christmas trees are proving to be the more sustainable choice. In the US, most Christmas trees are grown on tree farms. The trees are then shipped to nearby cities or towns, or are cut on location by energetic families. These trees are grown specifically for the purpose of decorating a family’s living room and are usually about 10 to 15 years old when cut, depending on the species. It’s estimated that one acre of Christmas trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people daily. In the U.S., according to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are approximately 500,000 acres of Christmas trees supplying nine million people a day with oxygen. Trees are an ideal way to trap any extra carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Because young Christmas trees are manually pruned each year, encouraging rapid growth, these trees trap more carbon than other types of forests.

If despite all this evidence, you really can’t abide the idea of killing a tree each December, there is an alternative. Buy a live tree, decorate it for the holiday season and then donate it to be planted in a forest or public area. Many local nurseries sell potted Christmas trees.

The first modern artificial Christmas tree was created in the 1930s by a toilet brush company, and artificial trees are today very popular. You don’t have to worry about them drying out, and you are able to put them up earlier in the season. They are also a convenient choice for city dwellers. However, many artificial trees are manufactured in a foreign country, requiring lots of fossil fuels in transportation. The National Christmas Tree Association estimates that 85 percent of artificial trees are from China. These trees are commonly made of PVC or polyethylene. PVC is a plastic and lead is used in its fabrication. It take a 100 years for plastic to break down in a waste disposal site so an artificial tree is more of an environmental hazard than useful year after year.

After the holidays there are several ways to dispose of your 100 percent biodegradable tree. Many municipalities have pick-up or drop-off services; and many of these municipalities then use the trees to generate mulch for city parks. You can dispose of your own tree by sinking it in your backyard pond, where it provides an ideal feeding area for pond creatures, or, after removing all your tinsel and other decorations, you can redecorate the tree with yummy bird treats and set it outside. Placing the tree further back in the woodlot will also allow for good brush coverage.

So if you want to have a GREEN Christmas, go chop down a tree and show your friends and family how to be earth friendly this holiday season.

Green Holiday Gifts

The holiday season can be a conflicted time for those with a mind toward being eco-friendly. While the season is a time to spend with family and friends, it can also be a time of great waste and consumption. But, those who are eco-friendly can also be holiday-friendly. There’s no need to turn into the Grinch when a variety of "green" holiday gifts are available to delight your friends, family and coworkers.

Here are some ideas to inspire this year’s green holiday shopper: Give the Gift of Green: Plant a tree in the name of your spouse, friend, sibling and help make strides towards a clean environment. For $9.95, Be Green Now will plant a tree in the recipient’s name. The recipient will get a plantable ornament made of seed paper. Ornaments are available in a variety of fun shapes including the Cilantro Leaf, the Daisy flower and the Forget Me Not. The recipient will also receive a card detailing the benefits of the tree planted for them. For each Gift of Green purchased, Be Green Now will plant one native tree in an ecosystem restoration project in the United States. According to the Be Green Now website, an average tree will absorb more than 650 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) over its lifetime that’s equal to the amount produced by driving about 740 miles.” A small investment now can make a huge impact over time; a tree is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

Bag it up: According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year. Billions of these end up as liter! Why not make a difference and stock up your friends with a cool collection of reusable shopping bags? You can find these at your local grocery store, at your favorite retail store, or even at Be Green Now, where they are called the Be Green Pod. The Be Green Pod is a shopping bag that folds up for easy storage.

Know the Materials that Count: Soy, Bamboo and Organic Cotton are trendy buzzwords in the world of green gift-giving. Anyone on your gift list is sure to enjoy a soy-based candle, an organic cotton towel set or a bamboo home décor piece. These materials are popular because they are sustainable and use fewer of the earth’s valuable resources in addition to reducing the use of harmful pesticides.

Green Greetings and Wrapping: Support the conservation of trees needed to generate oxygen by using recycled gift wrap and cards. Recycled gift wrap doesn’t have to be boring•a number of stylish online stores offer 100% postconsumer gift wrap in style. A quick online search will also yield a number of recycled greeting cards perfect for everyone on your holiday greeting card list.

Finding that ideal gift can be difficult during the holidays, but as you are choosing gifts for friends and family members, remember to be generous to the environment as well. A green gift shows the recipient you care about them and about the health of the planet.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/

About the Author:Ben Hamilton. At http://www.begreennow.com/ individuals can learn about the environment and climate change, calculate their household's annual carbon footprint, purchase carbon offsets, and get eco-friendly tips and products for themselves, friends, and family.

Parenting/Mentoring

If the children truly are our future, and they are not aware of the astronomical impact that we have on our environment, than the future could be a scary thing to behold. As parents and mentors, it’s our responsibility to educate and impassion them about the world and their responsibility for it. Although it’s important to teach kids about saving the planet as a whole, it’s easiest to show them how by the little things that can be done every day at home to help with the environment

Why go green? More like, why on earth not? The first Earth Day was over 30 years ago and yet as an American society we still give very little thought to being environmentally conscious.