What an idiotic article. It smacks of a high school student's 9th grade paper on "how to change the world by going green." I laughed out loud when I read that spray snow should not be used because it's made of chemicals. Yes, chemicals, in and of themselves are truly evil. I hate all these chemicals in life. So funny. It definitely sounds like the writer of this article does not even celebrate Christmas.
Decorating Sense
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Posted By: usfmarine @ 12/15/2008 5:42:06 PM
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Posted By: rogerhall @ 12/15/2008 6:29:10 PM
I agree that the article is poorly written, as I am sure you would agree that Christmas has nothing to do with rampant consumerism, spray on snow, big yard balloons, or wasting energy unnecessarily.
Somehow though, those things have snuck into our practice of the celebration. I would suggest it's OK to rethink them, especially since they have nothing to do with the actual celebration of Christmas.
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Posted By: jerzyboy349 @ 12/15/2008 6:04:04 PM
We've had our beautiful artificial tree for over 10 years now, and it looks as good as ever. You're telling me that sacrificing ten or more beautiuful, live evergreens for a few weeks of selfish enjoyment is more eco-friendly? Newsweek. WRONG AGAIN!
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Posted By: rogerhall @ 12/15/2008 6:18:21 PM
Jerzy,
Just because something is initially counter-intuitive doesn't mean it is wrong.
When you support a local Christmas tree farm, you are actually removing carbon from the atmosphere. It is captured by the quickly-growing young tree, and is released slowly back into the atmosphere over decades as the tree breaks down. If you sink the tree in a local lake, it breaks down more slowly while also providing protection for marine life (and the best fishin' holes around). The young tree, once cut, will be replaced by yet another tree, which will grab even more carbon from the sky.
As long as you continue to reuse an artificial tree that is already made, then you are not adding carbon, but only because that pollution cost has already been tallied when it was manufactured. I believe the article was speaking to those people who replace their artificial tree more often than you do. Certainly, artificial trees are poor candidates for recycling, and the point of chemistry they made is completely valid (and toxic).
Of course, you can't buy a real tree shipped in from 1000 miles away and claim it's green, but if you can find a very local source, it is a far better solution to an artificial tree made from poison shipped from China. :}
Merry Christmas!
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Posted By: L. Ruth @ 12/15/2008 6:07:32 PM
No Mike, you haven't "proved [their] list is bogus". Most artificial trees still don't biodegrade, tinsel can still hinder recycling a tree, LEDs are still more environmentally friendly, etc...
That said, kudos for reusing your tree, ornaments and tinsel, buying recycled wrapping paper, and making sure to get lawn decorations that are Energy Star compliant. All of those things do help mitigate the problems the article raises. It doesn't make them go away, but it lessens their impact.
On a different note, people should be careful making the switch from incandescents to LEDs - the quality control isn't always there and while the bulbs may have it in them to last years longer, the same isn't always true of the light strands themselves. Do a little bit of research before buying. For example, I had new strands of Sunbeam LEDs literally fall apart on me last year as the wire connections were never soldered.
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Posted By: mustireallyweighin @ 12/15/2008 5:51:37 PM
mike3775,
I love it when people attempt to disprove "green" initiatives by using "logic" such as yours.
a) I doubt very much the average artificial tree hits anywhere near 27 years. If you are the exception bully for you. The truth is that millions are sold every year and there aren't millions of new households.
b) I'm glad you recycle tinsel. In my time on this planet, you are the only one I have ever heard of doing that.
c) Amazing how little you understand about the planet. So, because you pay for electricity your inefficient use of power is ok? That's the type of logic that got us into this problem! Besides, you don't pay the full cost of your electricity, it is a subsidized industry.
d) Again, how many millions or ornaments are sold yearly? Kids break them, they fall apart etc..etc...
e) Spray on snow is completely decorative. You might as well say things like "anti-biotics are chemicals" and rant about that. It's an awful environmental choice for a purely display oriented purpose.
f) SIGH energy star means less energy...having a front lawn full of inflatable garbage and spouting "it's energy star" is ridiculous. It's not necessary to run those things 24 hours a day!
So, shockingly you haven't proven anything!
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Posted By: gerno @ 12/15/2008 5:43:04 PM
mike3775,
The atrociousness of your grammar is eclipsed only by your fallacy of logic. This isn't about your house. It's about your planet.
You proved nothing.
PS: Who under the age of 70 uses aerosol deodorant?
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Posted By: gerno @ 12/15/2008 5:42:13 PM
mike3775,
The atrociousness of your grammar is eclipsed only by your fallacy of logic. This isn't about your house. It's about your planet.
You proved nothing.
PS: Who under the age of 70 uses aerosol deodorant?
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Posted By: mike3775 @ 12/15/2008 5:10:52 PM
I am so sick and tired of the phrase "Green" .
I'll go in order and give my views on what this article stated
1) Artificial Tree's. I got my Christmas Tree from my parents who bought it in 1981 when i was 6 yrs old. For you non math whiz's, that makes the tree 27 yrs old. Its still in great shape and guess what, I save money every year because I do not have to pay to get a tree every year(think of the size of the carbon footprint I am not leaving by having to go to a store, wasting gas, to get my tree), and its still in great shape. I will probably pass it on to one of my kids when they move out and start a family of their own. So to say that artificial trees are bad is wrong, because if they last for years, people will not discard them.
2) Tinsel. Again here is where I recycle. See I am still using Tinsel i bought in 2000. I know this because the receipt is still taped to the box it came in. So again, my carbon footprint is way smaller because I reuse it over and over for years at a time
3) Incandescent Lights. So what If I am using lights that are energy suckers. No one but me is paying the electric bill so its my choice. and the funny thing is, my neighbors have asked me where I got my lights from, because they like them so much, and sadly they are not made anymore because of the "green crap" going on. If I need a new bulb, I have to hit Ebay. Again, it is my choice, and I choose to use the lights I got from my parents years ago. I am shocked you didn't mention that older lights may contain lead based paint either.
4) Ornaments. This article makes it seem that people buy new ornaments every year. I have only bought three new ornaments each year(one for every kid I have) and thats it. The rest are either made in school by the kids, or stuff I bought back in the late 1990's when I got the tree and lights from my parents. So again, my carbon footprint is very small
5) Wrapping Paper. I buy recycled paper, so does that matter(I noticed you did not mention that). Again, I can buy 10 rolls and have it last for at least 4-5 years. Again, a small carbon offset
6) Window candles- I don;t have any of those
7) The Spray on snow made me laugh. You are saying its made of chemicals, but so is deodorant, hair spray, and any other item that is spray-able. And I think more people use deodorant than fake snow on windows each year.
8) Lawn Ornaments. Funny but my Inflatable Santa and Snowman say Energy Star Compliant. To me that means its using less energy than others do. A carbon offset if you ask me
So amazingly, I have proved that your list is bogus, because my carbon footprint for Christmas is low. Of course if I changed my lights, I could make it smaller, but honestly, I am "green" according to this article, so why should I change?
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