ecotip
The Greenest Tree Go Natural for Christmas
The star of many families’ seasonal décor, the annual Christmas tree does not need to become an environmental burden if selected with care. While some individuals have strong opinions about the virtues of a natural tree versus an artificial one, each can have pros and cons.
PEACE STUDIES PROGRAM SERIES 2011|12
Peaceful Mind | Peace ful Life P R E S E N T S
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo Saturday, January 7, 4 pm University Theatre, FAU Boca Raton
For information about other events in FAU’s Peaceful Mind/Peaceful Life Series, visit
fauf.fau.edu/peaceful or call 561-297-2337
Lecture and book signing - In one of her rare visits to the United States, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo offers down to earth, practical advice on cultivating a peaceful mind amidst the stress of everyday life.
Tenzin Palmo is one of only a handful of western women to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist Nun. She recently spoke at The Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York.
“Tenzin Palmo is one of the most genuine and accomplished of western practitioners. Her voice is simple and pure, wise and true.”– Jack Kornfield, author of Path with a Heart
For tickets, visit
www.fauevents.com or call 1-800-564-9539
The National Christmas Tree As- sociation points out that 85 percent of the plastic trees sold in the United States are imported from China and may contain toxic chemicals, while ever- green trees can be grown in all 50 states. Even with a real tree, however, there are factors to consider. How far did the tree travel? The
distance traveled from its source impacts the carbon footprint, due to the fuel expended to transport it. Most vendors can tell you the state of origin, but how about pesticides? Conven- tional Christmas tree farms are reputed to use abundant pesticides to keep their product looking picture-perfect. Ask if the seller is the grower and/or knows the answer. Typically, a temporary side- walk or street corner seller may not; a
better bet can be a u-pick-it tree farm. Put a cut tree in water within a few hours after trimming the base a flat one-half to one inch; some people add an aspirin to the water to enhance absorption.
According to the 2009 National
Geographic Green Guide, Americans annually discard 30 million cut trees after the holidays, with the wood wast- ed in landfills. Alternatively, a program in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, collects them to combat coastal erosion.
Locate tree growers by state and
learn how to dispose of trees respon- sibly at PickYourOwnChristmasTree. org.
GreenPromise.com publishes a list of organic Christmas tree farmers at
Tinyurl.com/65oqh9. When choosing a live tree, keep
it properly hydrated and just repot it in the yard after the celebrations conclude. Find detailed steps for care and planting from
WikiHow.com at
Tinyurl.com/6dyauj and Tinyurl. com/3rj582n.
natural awakenings December 2011 21
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