Real or fake? Families shopping for Christmas trees must grapple with the decision for the sake of festivity. Christmas trees are vital to those who celebrate the holiday, but when consumerism is a concern, people may also want to consider environmental impacts.
The benefits of Christmas tree farms
Each real Christmas tree has a lower carbon footprint than a newly-manufactured plastic one. Though plastic trees can be reused for years, they will be inevitably disposed of, contributing to rampant plastic waste. Real Christmas trees can be recycled and are biodegradable. Additionally, their manufacture doesn’t require international transport.
Tree farms themselves also bring biodiversity to their surrounding area. Tree farms near cities provide sustenance for species surrounded by urban development.
Beyond their direct interactions with the environment, real Christmas trees and farms possess the ability to increase our fondness for the natural world. For weeks, a tree is decorated and revered in the household. It sits on display for everyone to see and think of. Having this piece of nature around forges connection between forests and the indoors.
Trees in high demand
Over time, Christmas trees have become a key part of the consumerism culture of Christmas. For families celebrating the holiday, pressure to buy, decorate and maintain a Christmas tree has increased demand for farms and plastic trees. They are also popular decorations for shopping malls and other buildings.
“I think sustainability is especially important during the holidays because the environment is already under a lot of stress with an increase of consumerism and waste,” said junior Piper Thayne, vice president of Tualatin High’s Climate Change Activism Club (CCAC).
On top of all other negative environmental impacts from Christmas shopping, this is why it’s crucial to make informed decisions when buying a tree.
Making eco-friendly decisions
Whether your family is looking to purchase a real or fake tree, there are smaller decisions you can make to lessen negative environmental consequences. If you have a real tree, it’s important to properly dispose of it. For trees 6 feet and under, they can be cut into 3-foot sections and placed in the yard debris bin. You can also drop trees off at Grimm’s Fuel Company in Tualatin for a $5 fee. Tualatin Boy Scout Troop 530 will also be collecting trees for registered curbside pickup on Dec. 27. Registration can be found on tualatinscouting.org
To mitigate impacts of buying a plastic tree, if you don’t have one already, consider buying one second-hand. This extends the life cycle of the tree and the length of time before it ends up in the landfill. If reused long enough, a plastic tree can have a lower carbon footprint than continuously buying real trees.
Junior Jacqueline Jacquez, social media manager and treasurer of CCAC, explained why her family opts to do this.
“If you have a fake Christmas tree for 6-10 years, that matches the environmental impact of buying a new tree each year. So in my family, we have had ours for about 11 years because there is no need to go and buy one each year if ours is doing perfectly fine.”
