the 'green' dilema: fake or real tree - Page 4

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by lindberg99

Personally, I would just buy some kind of big house plant or a Norfolk pine and decorate that at Christmas

is a Norfolk Pine a tree that would be in a planter and live indoors all year round?

[EdnaMarie]

There are trees you can buy and re-plant. With the lead thing and all I wouldn't use the old tree. Maybe you could make a tree out of reusable materials? Or would that be too hard and too funky? Or else just decorate a tree outside and put your presents under the stockings?

BSM, thanks for the list. That's great.

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by Mahtob

There are trees you can buy and re-plant. With the lead thing and all I wouldn't use the old tree. Maybe you could make a tree out of reusable materials? Or would that be too hard and too funky? Or else just decorate a tree outside and put your presents under the stockings?

I've been thinking that that might be what we do next year. We got a real tree (DH and my first one! Neither of us have ever had a real tree)...oh, my, does it smell soooo good! But I did feel very queezy watching it get chopped down. I do eat broccoli and I don't get that feeling from harvesting corn...but man oh man, was that hard. But I will be composting it to use on the paths in my garden, so it's just like buying pine mulch anyway, just I get to enjoy it alive too...I don't know. I'm still new to this whole thing. ANYWAY, I think we might do some gifts under/in the stockings since that is how St. Nick does it anyway. Why should he have to search the house for the tree? Just toss the stuff down the chimney and go to the next house!

[MamaRabbit]

Can't get a real tree over here

Our fake one has been passed down to us and is sooo dusty. I'm planning on wiping it down. I'd say we'd do no tree but my kids want it up so bad.

[mamadelbosque]

We've always had real christmas trees... and all but one of them were out of the woods aruond here. Thus we have always had "Charlie Brown" christmas tree's Some years they've been better than others... I don't know what we're doign this year yet. I'd kind of like to have a little one, but finding one that'd fit ontop of the icebox is gonna be tricky! But, we shall see

[dharmamama]

Originally Posted by MommyHawk

then again, chopping down a live tree isn't 'green' either!

I don't think there's anything wrong with real trees. It's not like they are virgin forest. Trees come from tree farms, where they are replaced after they are cut.

I supposed one could argue that tree farms use chemicals in their farming, but around here we have at least one and possibly two organic tree farms.

We got a real tree this year after spending all our married life (six years!!) with a fake tree and, although I was skeptical about spending the money on something that wasn't reusable, I am thrilled with the real tree. MUCH nicer than a fake one.

dm

[dharmamama]

Originally Posted by boingo82

It seems murderous

Trees don't have central nervous systems and they don't suffer.

dm

[MommyErin]

We do a real tree we cut ourselves at a local Christmas Tree Farm. We make a ritual of burning it in our fireplace on Epiphany and then spread the ashes out in the yard. It's our way of sending "Mr. Tree" back to the "planet of earth" as DD says.

Otherwise, one of our local public radio stations sponsors a tree mulching day right after the first of the year -- you bring your tree and a garbage can to take mulch home with you.

I do feel what the PP said. I find using a real tree and then putting it out to the trash after the holidays is very wasteful and it really bothers me for some reason. It's taking without giving back.

[LuvMyLittles]

Wow - a lot of strong feelings about our tree choices!

While I was growing up, my dad worked for the state forestry dept., so he would just bring one home. As an adult in southern Oregon, I often had friends ask to have me come take a tree from their property to cut down on fire hazard come summer (small trees and brush burn faster than big established trees). W/o that option, we would get a permit to go cut a tree in the woods).

Being a broke single mom city dweller with small children this year, I have a "fake tree". I took the tule I usually use as a tree skirt and tacked it to the wall in the shape of a tree and arranged the lights inside. Its above the reach of toddler and baby hands, actually looks really cool and we have just my older daughter and my favorite hand made ornaments on it.

I could not justify buying a fake tree - the permanent spot in a land fill waiting for the toxins in the tree (not to mention the toxins released when it was made) when almost any other choice is "greener" just makes the choice obvious for me. Growing up in house with someone who manages forest lands (everything from forest fire fighting, endangered species management, road engineering, and policy planning facilitator) probably has a lot to do with it. I don't buy fake flowers either, don't feel guilty when I pick wild ones (where appropriate), nor do I feel bad buying fresh when I can afford it. Except that a tree is larger, I fail to see the difference.

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by MamaRabbit

Our fake one has been passed down to us and is sooo dusty. I'm planning on wiping it down. I'd say we'd do no tree but my kids want it up so bad.

we had a 25yo tree that we were using. I would take the tree outside and dip each 'branch' into a huge bucket of water with 1:1 water and vinegar to clean off the dust and whatnot. That's probably why it lasted so long! But the 'needles' were starting to shed big time...maybe that's why I don't see such a big deal with the real tree loosing it's needles...so what? just clean it up seems to be the 'reason' why most people around here don't use a real tree.

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by LuvMyLittles

I could not justify buying a fake tree - the permanent spot in a land fill waiting for the toxins in the tree (not to mention the toxins released when it was made) when almost any other choice is "greener" just makes the choice obvious for me. Growing up in house with someone who manages forest lands (everything from forest fire fighting, endangered species management, road engineering, and policy planning facilitator) probably has a lot to do with it. I don't buy fake flowers either, don't feel guilty when I pick wild ones (where appropriate), nor do I feel bad buying fresh when I can afford it. Except that a tree is larger, I fail to see the difference.

WELL SAID!!! It only took one poster to help me 'see the green light' and now I'm just tickled...well, green to see even more clearly from everyone's opinions how this is truly the better choice.

[jkg]

We get a real one. After the holidays we set it in a garden bed in the backyard until the spring. When spring comes, DH chops as much of the trunk as possible and we use it either in the chimnea at night or as landscaping borders.

[NaomiMcC]

We had a real tree for years. Bought a fake one last year. So much easier!!! The guilt of cutting down a healthy tree every year got to me

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Originally Posted by NaomiMcC

We had a real tree for years. Bought a fake one last year. So much easier!!! The guilt of cutting down a healthy tree every year got to me

Not trying to flame here at all, but you don't feel guilty about putting up a chemically created toxic petro-plastic tree in your house every year and then eventually into the landfill?

[Rigama]

Real.
Our city recycles them, so that's good, but mostly I just love going to get one and then enjoying the wonderful smell. It adds a sense of calm to the house. Yesterday I wasn't being the best mom I could be so I went and sat behind the tree and watched the lights flicker and breathed in the piney smell...I calmed right down.

[sunnmama]

We always use real.

The city we lived in previously did the pick up/mulching thing. But that past couple of years we let the tree dry out, and then burned it in our chimnea. That might not be the most green option, but it was mostly having a ritual for dd who had an incredibly hard time giving up the tree after Christmas . And it was "free" firewood

Now we live in another area, and in an apt, so I don't know what will happen. Maybe we can take our tree somewhere to be recycled--I'll have to look into it. It is a small tree (table top), so maybe we will just break it into smaller pieces and drop it in the forest somewhere . But I am very excited because we were able to buy a local tree this year, and previously were not!

I don't understand the aversion to buying and displaying a farmed tree if people buy and display fresh flowers. Flower beds and greenhouses aren't exactly natural or diverse either. And, no, no one *needs* a Christmas tree (or fresh flowers...)--so there is the needless consumption aspect. But, for my consumption-conscious family, the benefits of having a Christmas tree for a month each year greatly outweigh the negatives (esp when recycled)...so we have one.

[beansricerevolt]

We've always done a real tree.
This year, we are getting a potted, indoor tree. Im hoping we can "love" it enough to stay alive for future celebrations of Christmas.

[NaomiMcC]

Originally Posted by MissMommyNiceNice

Not trying to flame here at all, but you don't feel guilty about putting up a chemically created toxic petro-plastic tree in your house every year and then eventually into the landfill?

This tree won't be going in the landfill for many, many, many years. Not at the price we paid for it.

And nope....don't feel guilty at all actually. It's of the 'reuse' part of the three R's. And as for the chemically treated toxic petro plastic -- nope. There are more harmful things in my house than that...cleaning supplies, plastic toys, hormones in th meat, pesticides on the fruit...etc.

[Four&Me]

Originally Posted by sunnmama

I don't understand the aversion to buying and displaying a farmed tree if people buy and display fresh flowers.

eh i dont like cut flowers either. sometimes looking at a freshly amputated sex organ of a plant creeps me out. plants and trees have a natural life span. trees can live to be over 100 years old. thats amazing and i cant help but to respect them. thats why i love the idea of a real alive tree that you can plant later. thats very neat!

[Four&Me]

Originally Posted by NaomiMcC

This tree won't be going in the landfill for many, many, many years. Not at the price we paid for it.

And nope....don't feel guilty at all actually. It's of the 'reuse' part of the three R's. And as for the chemically treated toxic petro plastic -- nope. There are more harmful things in my house than that...cleaning supplies, plastic toys, hormones in th meat, pesticides on the fruit...etc.

yeah i dont get the "oh its going to end up in the landfill" its not like you are buying a new fake tree every couple of years or something. you could most likely keep a fake one your whole life time! and you'd eventually reach the the point where the fake tree is more 'green' or whatever then a cut real one. because of all the polution & toxins required to have a real one year after year...