Oh Plastic Tree Or Christmas Tree?

In a world where words like global warming and greenhouse gasses are common use the age old question fake Christmas tree or a real tree becomes a real dilemma for many environmentally conscientious Americans.

 In a new independent study  the "real vs. fake" Christmas tree question was answered by Ellipsos, a consulting firm located in Montreal Canada. 

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The founder of the firm, Jean-Sebastian Trudel, confirmed after the study that the "green" option is in fact cutting down a real christmas tree.

In this new study researchers found that an artificial tree would have to be re-used for more than 20 years to make up for its dent against the environment. 


"The annual carbon emissions associated with using a real tree every year were just one-third of those created by an artificial tree over a typical six-year lifespan." (New York Times)

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Some interesting Christmas Tree Facts:

• 25-30 million Christmas trees are sold every year
• 80% of artificial trees worldwide are made in China
• Artificial trees contain non-biodegradeable plastics and metal toxins such as lead
• For every harvested tree 1-3 seedlings are planted in it's place