Real or Fake? Which Kind of Christmas Tree is "Greener?"

The holiday version of the conudundrum we face at the grocery store check-out line -- "paper or plastic?" -- is the difference of opinion as to whether the greener option is a real cut Christmas tree or a fake plastic tree. On one side of the argument is the plastic camp: buy it once and have the same tree for years, avoiding the need to for pesticides and the annual fleet of transport trucks hauling trees from one state to another.  The other side is the real tree camp: the plastic trees are mostly made in China (of course) and they are hauled not only from state to state, but across the ocean. Further, petro-products were used to make the plastic tree in the first place.

So clearly, the "greenest" holiday option is no tree at all!  But lets assume for a moment that centuries of tradition will reign and people will continue to buy Christmas trees for the foreseeable future.  That being the case, it would be nice to have a definitive answer to the "pre-paper or plastic" argument as to which is the most ecological option, but as with most such controversies the answer is not so, um... clear cut. As pointed out by "The Daily Green" in their article, the answer is, disappointingly, "it depends on the situation."

To summarize, if you go with a real try then try to buy one that is grown organically in your region of the country (assuming there are any such options). If you are the type that wants to avoid the hassle of a real tree and will keep a fake tree for many years, then try to find one made in North America (good luck with that) to avoid the issues of transoceanic transport and potential toxins in the plastic itself.

So which is the best option?  Neither! Besides no tree at all, the "greenest" solution is usually a live tree in a pot that you can replant when the holidays are over.