Motivation: Buy a live Christmas tree instead of an artificial Christmas tree.
I asked my husband if he thought that a real tree or an artificial tree was more eco-friendly. His answer: artificial tree. Initially, we both thought that an artificial tree would be more eco-friendly because you are reusing the same tree year after year and not cutting down real trees. We were both wrong!
Real Christmas trees are the eco-friendly choice. Buy a tree with the root ball and you are being even more eco-friendly because the tree can be planted after the holidays are over. Good Girl Gone Green and Earth 911 cover the debate of "real vs. fake" and also promote buying a real Christmas tree. Over the long run, a real tree will cost you more money. However, the positive environmental impact of buying a real tree every year will outweigh your out-of-pocket cost in the end.
Artificial Christmas trees are harmful. They can potentially cause cancer because they are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is “one of the most environmentally offensive forms of non-renewable, petroleum-derived plastic.” Fake trees might contain lead and other additives that have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage in lab studies on animals.
I challenge you to buy a real Christmas tree (even if it is a small one) and stand clear of fake, toxic plastic trees!
