Living Green

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

jennylyn — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:43:16 GMT

We have an artificial tree. I think it is definitely the more frugal option for sure. I donated our last one when we got this one. Didn't throw it away.

I do love a live Christmas tree that can be planted after the holiday. We did that one year-it was so beautiful and very special. My grandparents have one out in front of their house that is 45 years old! It is very cool. If we can ever afford to move out to a more rural area (very expensive here) that is what we'll do and plant them every year.

But for now, with no place to plant them, we are keeping the artificial tree!

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

haverwench — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:47:16 GMT

timzagain:
A friend taught me a little trick. She'd go to a tree lot and ask for a few branches that are inevitably left on the ground. Stick them in the artificial tree and presto - real scent, not overpowering and without the huge mess of a "whole" tree

I believe I mentioned in another thread that you can actually construct an entire "tree" out of these discarded branches. You just arrange them in a large pot or wastebasket to form a rough tree shape. You can use some string or floral wire to help hold them together (or perhaps the tree garland could do that job). I did one this way once in my apartment, and it came out pretty well. For those who prefer real trees but would rather not spend the money (or sacrifice a live tree for a couple of weeks of use), this is a frugal option.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

cheapChic — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:16:19 GMT

hello timezgain love that ideal maybe next year do that one I have a bush of limbs coming off the pine trees be an ideal scent for the front room here thanks....

cindy

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

MarthaMFI — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:08:28 GMT

dh is allergic to the smell and the trees. plus he has asthma and we have birds so sprays, most scented candles are out.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

timzagain — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:53:03 GMT

A friend taught me a little trick. She'd go to a tree lot and ask for a few branches that are inevitably left on the ground. Stick them in the artificial tree and presto - real scent, not overpowering and without the huge mess of a "whole" tree

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

cheapChic — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:31:21 GMT

My artificial one is two feet tall already has lights on it looks great to me never will get a dead tree off the street corner again I have been doing this for the past 5 years to me its very nice and no more batteling it to the street corner to get the tree and feel guilty later having a dead tree in my house thats going to be put threw thhe shreder in the pack pasture from the farm house....

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

slk2042 — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:41:24 GMT

MarthaMFI:

I like the smell of real ones but the convenience of fake ones. plus dh is allergic to them.

Martha, is DH allergic to pine-scented candles or air fresheners? We have an artificial tree, but we regularly burn pine-scented candles for that "real" smell.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

MarthaMFI — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:24:08 GMT

I like the smell of real ones but the convenience of fake ones. plus dh is allergic to them.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

babs — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:35:20 GMT

We use an artifical one because of allergies. I do like the idea of going out to a farm and picking your own tree. There are lots of Christmas tree farms near us. The town picks them up and turns them in to mulch. Babs

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

Mimi — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:19:21 GMT

I bought my artificial tree when I lived in the city ($40 at Value City before Christmas!) over a decade ago so it was definitely cheaper than paying $70 for a tiny real one in the city each year.

Now that I live in the country it looks kind of sad next to the towering pines outside my window. I also live close to several Christmas tree farms. They are always planting new ones and are very responsible with everything. All the trees they plant help to filter the air and increase oxygen as any tree would. Plus, we can easily recycle ours into mulch.

I have wanted a live tree with roots, but I have a hard time keeping houseplants alive here (low light and dry air), and it usually takes several months for the ground to thaw enough to plant the trees here.

If a tree has to be trucked a really long distance and then ends up in a landfill then it's definitely not greener, but if it's grown locally and can be used as mulch, I think that's better for the environment.

Of course, if we already own artificial trees, we shouldn't throw them away and get a live one to be green! We should get as much good out of them as possible.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

sunshinetreva — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:02:01 GMT

The choice was made for me in my city -- no tree or a fake one. The fire marshall doesn't allow real Christmas trees in apartments. We bought a fake one and this is our 3rd year using it. It's already got the lights on it and it's actually very easy to set up. I *loved* having a real tree as a kid, but I'm okay with this one. We paid $70 for it (had to buy it for Christmas so couldn't get in on a good post-Christmas sale), but I figure it'll last at least a decade, hopefully more. I cannot justify buying a real tree just b/c I want one. I'm not willing to spend the money! LOL

Okay, I guess the question is "which is greener?" The real tree is greener. It can biodegrade back into the earth, which I believe is G'd's ultimate plan -- dust to dust and all that. That's just my opinion, though. And the tree farms are specifically designed to grow trees in a pattern. The Christmas trees that are real are usually about 7 years old, so the farmers who grow them have 7 to 8 sections worth of trees, so that each year a group is harvested and a new group is planted. The next question would be if the trees are grown in a "green" fashion using no pesticides and all that, which would come down to each individual farmer.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

dlw — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:47:03 GMT

I vote for real trees with the roots still attached so they can be replanted as the greenest alternative. However, since I am allergic to the trees I have an artificial one.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

timzagain — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:44:15 GMT

When our artificial tree becomes too tired, I will definitely look at a potted palm.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

AmyC — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:18:31 GMT

I vot with artificial trees. It takes years to grow a tree...and tojust cut it down for a few weeks decorations seems mighty wasteful to me.

Re: Which is "greener" - real or artificial Christmas tree?

Lynnea Berr — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:08:59 GMT

I have to agree that the artificial tree is more frugal in the long term. I see quite a few donated to Goodwill, Salvation Army and also every tree offerred on the Freecycle list was taken this year. While they get tired looking when bare, they can still be fluffed and decorated fully.

However, the other day on a TV program, someone used the needles for mulch around acidic plantings, put the branches out for drying and other mulch, and used portions of the trunk of the tree to make candleholders.