Christmas Trees: Real vs. Fake
Real vs. Fake
I can remember every December getting ready to go cut down our family Christmas tree. We went to the same place every year. It was me, my mom, my brother and my sister. We would bring our own saw and cut down the tree ourselves afterwards we would sit in the barn the tree farm converted into a café and drink hot apple cider. It was my favorite holiday tradition. It lasted until I turned 17 then I came home one day and in the living room was a giant fake Christmas tree. My mom said it was better for the environment and better for her budget. It may be cheaper to buy a nice fake tree every five years or so but real Christmas trees are a much better option.
One of the biggest arguments against using real trees harms the environment by cutting down trees that turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. The amount of trees sold each year is far less than the amount growing on U.S. tree farms. There are 33 million Christmas trees sold in the United States every year and 350 million Christmas trees growing in the United States. According to the website earth911.com for every tree cut in the winter one to three seedlings are planted in the spring. (Brown)
Fake trees are easily reproduced but not in environmentally friendly way. The main material used in making artificial trees is PVC which is a highly toxic chemical it increases risk of cancer, damages your body’s immune system and can cause developmental problems in children. PVC is a by-product of petroleum which is not a renewable source. Real Christmas trees are grown on farms; fake trees are made in manufacturing plants which use energy to operate. Most of the manufacturing plants are overseas so the trees have shipped to the United States which causes more toxins to be released into the air. There have been some claims made the real trees have pesticides and other toxic chemical residue on them but there is no research showing any significant amounts of harmful chemicals on real trees.
When Christmas is over
I can remember every December getting ready to go cut down our family Christmas tree. We went to the same place every year. It was me, my mom, my brother and my sister. We would bring our own saw and cut down the tree ourselves afterwards we would sit in the barn the tree farm converted into a café and drink hot apple cider. It was my favorite holiday tradition. It lasted until I turned 17 then I came home one day and in the living room was a giant fake Christmas tree. My mom said it was better for the environment and better for her budget. It may be cheaper to buy a nice fake tree every five years or so but real Christmas trees are a much better option.
One of the biggest arguments against using real trees harms the environment by cutting down trees that turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. The amount of trees sold each year is far less than the amount growing on U.S. tree farms. There are 33 million Christmas trees sold in the United States every year and 350 million Christmas trees growing in the United States. According to the website earth911.com for every tree cut in the winter one to three seedlings are planted in the spring. (Brown)
Fake trees are easily reproduced but not in environmentally friendly way. The main material used in making artificial trees is PVC which is a highly toxic chemical it increases risk of cancer, damages your body’s immune system and can cause developmental problems in children. PVC is a by-product of petroleum which is not a renewable source. Real Christmas trees are grown on farms; fake trees are made in manufacturing plants which use energy to operate. Most of the manufacturing plants are overseas so the trees have shipped to the United States which causes more toxins to be released into the air. There have been some claims made the real trees have pesticides and other toxic chemical residue on them but there is no research showing any significant amounts of harmful chemicals on real trees.
When Christmas is over