Fresh cut trees are a renewable resource, clean the air as they grow, and can be mulched after use. However, they require a lot of water (and usually chemical fertilizers) over the many years it takes the slow-growing evergreens to reach the ideal height to become the center of your holiday celebration.
Artificial trees made consisting mostly of plastic and metals such as aluminum, are produced in less than eco-friendly ways; polluting the air, water, and land they are mined and manufactured from. Green dyes and metals are often contaminated with lead, posing serious consequences to your health. They are not recyclable, meaning that after use, they simply become unusable waste that is often toxic if buried or burned.
Live potted trees are a great option, if they are available (and climate appropriate) in your area. Although they consume water, they continue to clean the air and give back long after the holiday season has passed. Plus, raising your own potted pine tree allows you to control which chemicals are (or are not) applied to it. However, this does require a long-term commitment (trust me, these things do NOT grow themselves) and you'll be waiting quite a long time if you'd like a taller tree (it seems they get stuck in the 3-4' height phase for quite a long time).
Up until now, those were all of the options we had. Just like the "paper or plastic" grocery store question which has now changed to include reusable bags, we now have another option for holiday trees. PossibiliTree creates timeless tree masterpieces that are both artistic and useful! When possible, they utilize fallen trees; otherwise, they use sustainably harvested domestic woods in their products.
For our review, we had the pleasure of displaying the 3' birch model in our home. Our children were SO excited about this tree, especially our 3 year old, who enjoyed rearranging the branches and ornaments daily. It comes in a tube, which serves as an easy storage solution when you'd like to pack it away. Rolled neatly in bundles separated by size, the tree is assembled in under 5 minutes from opening the package (yes, we timed it and no, we didn't rush)!I cannot stress enough how much our little ones loved this tree. One solid recommendation I will make regarding this product is this: if you have a child who has allergies to live trees and yet you want to stay away from the toxicity of artificial trees, the PossibiliTree is your solution! They can play with the branches, redecorate it constantly, and it's the perfect size for their bedroom. It is well-built and should last many, many years and generations to come.
Bonus: To celebrate their new facebook page, PossibiliTree is giving away a free 3' tree when they acquire 200 friends and a 6' tree when they reach 1000 (currently they have 78). To enter to win, simply click "like" on their facebook page located here.
