As more and more people become aware of the drastic environmental impact humans have on the world,  more people begin to care about the environment’s wellbeing. Recently, people began questioning whether they should continue to purchase authentic Christmas trees or in turn purchase fake ones.

   For some people, picking out a Christmas tree is a family tradition. Senior Sierra Barth said, “I believe everyone should buy a real Christmas tree. Every year my whole family goes to Home Depot to look through loads and loads of trees. My family argues a bunch until finally, we all agree on the right one. Then once we get home, we all decorate the tree and the whole house smells of fresh pine.” However, just because you aren’t buying a live tree, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun decorating it. Fake trees are almost perfectly real looking and you can even buy a spray that makes it smell like a real tree. Whether your tree is real or fake, there is always an opportunity for you and your family to decorate together.

   The biggest argument for buying fake trees today is for the sake of the environment. But what are fake trees made of? Plastic: environmentalists’ enemy! According to a science website, plastic is made from oil, which can lead to oil spills, ruining habitats and killing the organisms that live there by sticking to them, destroying their food sources and poisoning them (sciencing.com). Furthermore, according to The Guardian, “A six-point five-foot artificial tree has a carbon footprint equivalent to about 40 kg of greenhouse gas emissions — which is more than twice that of a real tree that ends its life in landfill” (theguardian.com). The production of fake trees causes most of this, but the trees are also all produced in faraway places and then have to be transported to places all around the world. This greatly contributes to their carbon footprint. Most people would be surprised by this information as many people purchase fake trees is to preserve the environment.

   The American Christmas Tree Association’s website says, “Artificial trees cost an average of 100 [dollars] and can save consumers 70 percent over a 10-year period, [which is] the average lifespan of an artificial tree” (christmastreeassociation.org). Although the main reason for buying fake trees is to preserve the environment’s health, you can save a lot of money if you keep reusing it every year. In addition to this, after purchasing a fake tree, you can save time you would spend going through the process of picking out a tree and the trouble of transporting it home every year.

   USA Today’s website says, “WAP Sustainability Consulting, a company that helps businesses achieve their sustainability objectives, asserts that the environmental impact of fake trees is lower than that of the real thing if the artificial one is used for five or more years” (usatoday.com). The main problem with comparing a fake tree to a real one is, although a fake tree may be worse for the environment initially, a fake tree can usually be used for 10 years, or even more. Real trees, however, can also be composted afterward. 

   Everyone has their own opinion on which they like better, and as of now there still isn’t a clear answer as to what’s better for the environment. But, maybe in the future, advances will be made to create an artificial tree made out of compostable or better resources.