ARTIFICIAL TREES
-There were 8.9m artificial trees imported to the United States in 2008.
-A typical artificial tree contains 7.3lbs of plastic, mostly poluvinyl chloride (PVC).
-It takes 20 years of re-use for an artificial tree’s carbon footprint to be lower than that of an actual tree’s.
-In an entire year, approximately 600,000 U.S homes could be powered using the energy required to run decorative lights during the holiday season.
THE REAL THING
-In 2008 there were 28.2m real trees sold in the U.S.
-Each year, 5.8lbs of pesticides are sprayed on real holiday trees in North Carolina.
-There are approximately 4,000 tree recycling centers in the U.S.
-It is estimated the average conifer tree can absorb 1 ton of carbon dioxide over 60 years.
TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR HOLIDAYS GREEN!
Check out www.greenpromise.com/resources to find organic, pesticide-free tree farms near you.
Switch to long lasting LED holiday lights and use approximately 90% less energy per string. Visit the New York Energy $mart Lighting Page for more info on LEDs. Visit www.holidayleds.com to recycle your old incandescent lights.
To find out where your tree can be turned into compost or woodchips, go to www.earth911.com.
Blooming Hill Organic Farm (http://www.bloominghillfarm.com/)
Blooming Grove, NY. 845/782-7310. Organic Christmas trees you choose, we cut. Family-run working organic farm. Fresh wreaths daily with wild evergreens.
Green in Vermont (http://greenvermont.blogspot.com/)
Brooklyn, NY. (Five locations: Brooklyn Heights, Church of Saint Ann and the Holy Trinity; Park Slope, beside the Park Slope Food Co-op; Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens Christ Church; Clinton Hill, Cadman Church; Windsor Terrace, Holy Name Baseball Field). Pre-cut Balsam fir, Fraser fir, and White pine Christmas trees grown organically at their mountain top farm in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Also offers wreaths and pure maple syrup.
Biophilia Organic Farm (http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M10707)
Jamesport, NY. 631/722-2299. Certified organic Christmas tree farm with you pick/we cut trees, plus live trees in bushel baskets. Species include White Pine, White Spruce, Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir and Scots Pine.
