To Tree or Not to Tree?

Another year and again I'm at odds with having a natural tree in the living room or pulling out the dusty petroleum one in the basement. Compared to the destruction of trees in the Rainforest, Burma or Borneo, Christmas should be no big deal. Still, the idea of chopping down Charlie Brown and watching him rot on the street is more than I can bare.

So, what to do to reconcile my conscience while working towards a greener lifestyle?

The good news is I can't simply justify using miles of wrapping paper, bows, tape and ribbons and not buy a tree. I also can't simply justify spiking my energy use with decoration and lights and then not buy a tree. Thirdly, plastic trees require manufacturing and most end up in landfills eventually.

Buying a homegrown tree supports reputable local farmers and guarantees more replanting. Buying from growers with environmentally sustainable credentials and staying away from non-organic growers that use pesticides is even better. And, when it's time to toss it away, make sure your highway department makes mulch from dead trees rather than disposing in landfills.

Growing up I always had a real tree. I think it was Douglas Fir or Norway Spruce that dotted our property. Every Christmas, we'd trample through banks of snow pulling a toy sled and handsaw behind us and find the perfect fresh pine. We lived in the sticks so there were enough trees to go around and besides, come Spring, we'd plant 10x more to replace the one we cut. Maintaining fond memories and habits while saving the environment was easy then and still can be.

Before it freezes, dig a hole in the ground, cover it and come Christmas, buy a well-developed root ball tree from a local nursery. Enjoy and water the tree over the holidays and then plant it in the backyard.

A couple weeks ago a furious ice storm in the Northeast resulted in thousands of broken evergreen branches. Just the other day I noticed those branches on the tops of Subaru's and SUV's. What a great idea to save green while staying green.

I'm sure there are many more options and if it's not too late to comment on your ideas, I welcome them here. Enjoy the holidays everyone.