Education = Better Decisions

REAL TREES

Real Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gasses and emit fresh oxygen. Every acre of Christmas trees grown produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. Farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often Christmas trees are grown on soil that won't support other crops.

Real Christmas trees are grown on farms just like any other crop making them a renewable resource.


ARTIFICIAL TREES

Artificial trees are a petroleum-based product manufactured primarily in Chinese factories. The average family uses an artificial tree for only six to nine years before throwing it away, where it will remain in a landfill for centuries after disposal. According to The Sierra Club, “PVC products are dangerous to our health and the environment from start to finish -- in the factory, at home, and in the trash -- releasing poisonous chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.” They are also partly made out of lead for the stand and limbs.

Many people are afraid of real trees catching fire but artificial trees can catch fire as well. However the smoke produced from PVC is much worse than that created by a real tree.

FIND A RECYCLING PROGRAM
To learn more about recycling programs in your community, visit the EARTH 911 Web site @ www.earth911.org.