Christmas Tree. Which is the most natural choice?
In these days, the greatest hit for everyone, regardless the age, is the Christmas Tree. Monumental trees in the heart of every city, which compete for the most original decoration, for the largest number of pictures and likes on social networks. And while someone looks with enchanted eyes, someone else criticizes, asking if cutting trees to create the atmosphere still makes sense.
The answer to the question “Better the real tree or the artificial one?” comes from those involved in the environment and the sustainable forest management. Ispra, Italian National Institute for environmental protection and research, supplies the datas – an artificial one two metres high has a carbon print of almost 40 kilos of CO2 equivalent emissions. Aggravating circumstance: a fake tree takes more than 200 years to degrade in the environment.
The same says PEFC (Programme of Endorsement for Forest Certification), the board that promotes the correct ad sustainable management of forest heritage. PEFC states that a real Christmas Tree is more sustainable – even if cut, it is still a breathing plant, which absorbs dioxide and releases oxygen. If we put the decorated tree inside our home, this will get several important benefits, such as the air purification through the release of oxygen as well as essential oils typical of the plant. Once its use is finished, the tree closes its life cycle as organic substance. On the contrary, a plastic tree is inevitably doomed for the landfill.
