Christmas Tree Sustainability

The sale of fake Christmas trees set a new record this year - - 13 million.  The total U.S. number of artificial trees is well over 50 million.  All are manufactured in Asia - - namely China.  So which is "greener" - - the real tree that is chopped down or the fake one?

A consulting firm, Ellipsos based in Montreal, recently looked at the fake versus real issue.  The results are provided below:

• An artificial tree would have to be utilized on average for more than 20-years to be greener than a fresh-cut tree.
• Using a real tree every year produces on average one-third the carbon emissions of a fake tree.
• Your typical fake tree is used for seven years and then is disposed of in a landfill.  Curbside recycling of real trees turn them into mulch and compost - - in 2009 150,000 trees were mulched in New York City.
• Driving is a key variable -  too much driving to find the perfect real tree reduces the benefits and tips the scales back to fakeness (Driving is a key variable in many such sustainability claims and comparisons - - I strongly suspect that many of our LEED certified buildings have far less LEEDness if the true impact of driving to and from the building is accurately calculated).
• Close to 400 million trees now grow on Christmas tree farms in the U.S..  About 30 million trees are harvested annually.
• If you drive to work 40 miles round trip - - the fake versus real debate once a year should not cause anyone to lose any sleep.  It is a drop in the bucket in the context of your total carbon footprint.

Or you could be like my family and buy a living tree for Christmas.  I plant then in my yard after Christmas.  But it requires my large truck to haul them back to my house - - the driving variable probably kills my greeness.

Ellipsos Christmas Tree Report