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I'm dreaming of a Green Christmas...
For the last several years it has been a custom for my family to visit one of the local Christmas Tree farms near our home in Hampton, Georgia and cut a live Christmas tree. Although this might not seem the most eco-friendly option, it actually is, since the farms plant two to three new trees on average for every one that is cut. Of course, "Plant a Tree" is on too many "Save the Planet" lists to count, but I confess to feeling melancholy every time I take the dead, dry tree to the recycling center every year. And, especially in this age of climate crisis, it just seems out of harmony with the season to cut down a perfectly good, oxygen-producing, CO2 absorbing organism. It's also ironic that this annual tree sacrifice has become central to the observance of Jesus' birthday when you consider that Abraham, father of the faith, planted a desert evergreen as an act of worship.
Of course the greenest option would be to not buy a tree at all, but it would be easier to nail Jell-O to a tree than tamper with that tradition. Artificial trees are also out due to fact that they are typically made of PVC, one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created.
So this year we bought a live tree with a root ball which we'll plant after the holidays. We simply plunked the tree down in a Number 2 galvanized wash tub for the brief stay in our living room (that's my daughter April with her dog Sugar in the photo with the tree). An unpredicted fringe benefit: it was the easiest tree to stand straight in my history of putting up Christmas trees and a Falcons Linebacker couldn't knock it over.
By planting our live Christmas tree we'll give a gift back to Earth by off-setting our carbon-footprint by 2000 lbs. of CO2 per year!
Burke Sisco
We planted our Christmas tree in my Sister-in-Law's back yard on Dec. 27. It was definitely more work that chunking a dead tree but it was worth it to win the "inner struggle to do that which we know we should vs. doing that which is easier, less challenging, less noble" (thanks, Dave Ponce of "Rustle the Leaf").
I'm happy to report that as of today the tree is doing fine and seems to be taking well to it's new home...
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Reader Comments (3)
Great post on the trees and a way that can give back. I want to ask where you get your number for CO2 offset? The number you use is orders of magnitude off of what we use as a reference (680 lbs in the LIFE of a tree). That is the number we use in calculating impact of our company ifPeople (www.ifpeople.net). Since the company's inception, we have made efforts each year to offset our carbon impact and be "carbon neutral". We realize the science is really lacking on this subject...but we think it is vital to take action towards climate responsibility. You can see our page on Carbon Neutrality here: http://www.ifpeople.net/sustainability/carbon
Thanks again for your thoughtful post.
Cheers,
Chris
--
ifPeople - Innovation for People
www.ifpeople.net
I admit I'm relying on Internet factoids on my carbon-offset number. I had seen that number quoted several times. Your number seems more realistic and I know the science also depends on the type of tree.
Anyhoo, if living Christmas trees become a family tradition, perhaps an heirloom grove of trees will approach my number.
In any event -- a great New Year reSolution is to plant a tree!