Pine or PVC? November 28, 2007

I’ve always had an instinctive aversion to plastic Christmas trees. I grew up in a solidly pro pine family. I’ve never really grasped how any hassle saved by assembling a plastic tree could outweigh the joys of having a real tree in your house! The soft needles, the true Christmas scent (especially potent when blended with the smell of oil heat)…

When my family moved from the ‘burbs to New York City, I was initially concerned about our Christmas tree future, there being no immediately accessible tree farms to which we could tramp. But there they were – lining the sidewalk on every third block down Broadway – real Christmas trees bundled up and ready to be dragged off to elevators and up to good homes.

Whether technically alive or not, real trees FEEL alive. I pick out a tree the way I would pick out a pet from the pound. I walk around their pens for a long time, stroking their branches and trying to get an intuitive feel for which one is my tree. (I choose my halloween pumpkins the same way.) Eventually I get that tree “click” and that one comes home with me. A PVC tree? No soul to click with.

In recent years it has been brought to my attention that maybe chopping down a bunch of trees just so humans can have a couple weeks of Christmasy pleasure is not so good for the environment. This is hard to deny, but in my heart I have been denying it. But this morning – oh joy! – an article appeared making the case that real trees are greener than plastic trees. The highlights:

*Most plastic trees are made from PVC – toxic to produce, contains lead, difficult to recycle…
* Cut, farmed trees are a renewable resource. They can be returned to tree farms where they are recycled into mulch to nourish the next crop of trees.
* Live trees (with roots) are pretty ecofriendly, but also not very practical.
* Greenest option: a cut tree from a local farm (zero to no fuel spent on transportation) and returned to a farm for mulching when the season is over.

Okay, my source is Yahoo! News. Not the most thoughtful or reliable source. If anyone has heard differently or has further thoughts on the Christmas tree issue, please let me know. I doubt I will be dissuaded from getting my pine, but it’s good to have all the facts. Happy holidays everybody!

I cannot has cheezburger… July 13, 2007

Some of you may have seen this before, but I felt inspired to post it because it’s so quirky: James Cascio over at Open The Future calculated the carbon footprint of a cheeseburger. Here’s how the Seattle Times described it:

“Not just the carbon dioxide created by cooking the burger. But also from raising cattle for beef and cheese, growing and harvesting produce, and transporting and storing all that food. And then there is the methane, a greenhouse gas that cows emit just by living. Crunching the numbers, Cascio figured the average cheeseburger is responsible for about 9.5 pounds of emissions. If you eat one cheeseburger a week, that’s nearly 500 pounds of greenhouse gases a year.”

I find stats like this interesting, but they leave me befuddled. I’m not sure how neurotic to get about every cheeseburger consumed. (Or about all the energy I waste by charging up my laptop to browse cute cat pictures at icanhascheezburger.com.). But clearly the impact adds up… Anyone have any thoughts or energy stats on plant-based vs. burger-based diets?

Machines for Washing, Part I June 26, 2007

First of all, a big shout out to all of you for the great responses and positive feedback on this blog. We really appreciate it. Thanks for being in this conversation with us!

Now, about machines: I’m trying to focus on one small step (plastic bags) right now, but since I’ve opened this can of worms in my brain, all kinds of “green” questions are popping up. For example, what’s the scoop on dishwashers and laundry machines? Is handwashing more water/energy efficient than a dishwasher? It seems like it would be – but my preliminary investigation says no! (See here and here.) It looks like dishwashing uses less water than handwashing, and like you can reduce the energy consumed by turning off the drying cycle, popping the door open and letting the dishes air dry. I happen to love my dishwasher and may now perhaps be able to love it without guilt. Is this info accurate? Anyone else have good sources on this question? Anyone have a favorite strategy/solution in the dishes department?