The title alone bugs me, because I'm immediately suspicious of anyone who tries to tell me what to do based on their perception of "green". Anyway, here are Kaitlin Finnerty's EPA Chesapeake Bay Program approved "suggestions" for an environmentally and politically correct tannenbaum, and my thoughts.
1) Avoid artificial. As deforestation becomes a global concern, an artificial tree might seem like a green choice. But some researchers disagree. Most of the artificial Christmas trees sold in the United States are made in China using polyvinyl chloride or PVC, a kind of plastic whose petroleum-dependent manufacturing, processing and shipping is a serious emitter of greenhouses gas. And while one study did find that reusing an artificial tree can be greener than purchasing a fresh-cut fir each December, that artificial tree would have to be used for more than two decades—and most end up in a landfill after just six to nine years.I distrust such "life cycles studies" because advocates are likely to be selective in concluding what should be ascribed to the various parts, and come to the conclusion that they desire. And, I'm not all that concerned with the CO2 production from the production of the small amount of PVC in the average Let's imagine the average artifical tree contains 25 lbs of PVC (seems like a healthy overestimate). Let's equate that to about 3 gallons of gasoline. Are you likely to burn 3 gallons of gasoline in the course of searching for the ideal tree (wait until you see what EPA says is the ideal tree before you decide) and requires additional resources (stand, water, chemicals) to use. You just put up the artificial tree, and take it down again. Twenty times? Sure, could be.
2. Don’t be a lumberjack. While going artificial might not be the greenest choice, neither is hiking up a local mountain with an axe in hand. When a tree is removed and not replaced, its ecosystem is robbed of the multiple benefits that even a single tree can provide. Trees clean our water and air, provide habitat for wildlife and prevent soil erosion. Instead of chopping down your own Christmas tree, visit a farm where trees are grown, cut and replanted just like any other crop.I'm generally OK with this, just out of laziness, but not as an absolute rule. Growing forests are full of small trees, not all of which can or will grow to maturity. Selective thinning allows the rest to grow faster, without substantially changing the ecosystem services. We collected our own trees off our own land when we lived in Oregon years ago. A couple years we even got permits to take trees off the roadsides, where they needed to be removed for visibility reasons. Make sure it's legal to collect the tree before you do, and be a little sensitive to the forests, but really, there are a whole hell of a lot of trees out there.
3. Choose a tree farm wisely. Millions of Christmas trees are grown on farms across the United States, emitting oxygen, diminishing carbon dioxide and carrying some of the same benefits of a natural forest. And some of these tree farms are sustainable, offering locally-grown, pesticide-free trees and wreaths. Find a tree farm near you.Again, I have no major problems with this, but if I'm going to a tree farm to buy a tree, I'm not going to spend a lot of time quizzing them about their farming practices. I want a tree that looks good decorated, and will last through Christmas without dropping all it's needles. Even looking for one close to me is going to take more than 3 gallons of gas, whereas I can buy a cut tree at the firehouse, help my local volunteer fire department with their funding, and only drive 4 miles round trip.
4. Go “balled and burlapped.” Real Christmas trees are often turned into mulch once the season is over. But some farmers are making Christmas trees even more sustainable! Instead of cutting down a tree at its trunk, a tree’s roots are grown into a ball and wrapped in a burlap sack. Once the tree is used, it can be replanted! If your yard doesn’t have room for another evergreen, look for a company that will return for its tree after the holidays.If we bought a balled and burlapped tree every year, we would now have planted something like 38 trees, at three different houses that we have owned. The yards would now be forests, and believe or not, Christmas trees fit into normal landscaping sparingly, at best.
Look, I don't mind any of these suggestions coming from an individual. Indeed, we have used all the different suggestions here at one time or another, as fit's our needs and lifestyle at any given time. I kind of resent it when a governmental agency like EPA, with police powers, starts telling use how to celebrate it. What comes as a suggestion one year may come as a mandate the next.
And before I go, just who is Kerin Finnerty?Caitlin Finnerty is the Communications Staffer at the Chesapeake Research Consortium and Chesapeake Bay Program. Caitlin grew up digging for dinosaur bones and making mud pies in Harrisburg, Pa. Her fine arts degree landed her environmental field work jobs everywhere from Oregon to Maryland. Now settled in Baltimore, she is eagerly expecting her first child while creating an urban garden oasis on her cement patio.A fine arts degree is telling me how to celebrate a "green" Christmas? Sorry if I'm not that receptive.
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