Benefits of  Artificial Trees 

They are re-used every year.

• They don’t produce as much waste as real trees.
• More economical because you do not need to buy a new tree every year.

Clean

• Artificial trees do not shed their needles.
• There is no sap to make them sticky.
• No watering needed.

Safety

• This tree does not dry out and become a fire hazard.
• It is made from fire-resistant poly vinyl.

Size options and equal all around

• These are all the same all the way around, no imperfections.
• Multiple sizes and styles.

Negatives of Artificial Trees

• Very difficult to recycle. It leaches plasticizers, stabilizers into landfills.
• Lack of scent
• Many known carcinogens including dioxin, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride, and heavy metals are produced when PVC is made. This pollutes neighborhoods near factory sites.
• The effects of these toxins can hinder; male reproduction, development,pregnancy loss, female infertility, asthma, and other respiratory problems.
• 85% of fake trees sold in North America Originate from China.
• Contain Lead and other additives linked to kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage in lab animals.
• Many fake trees have a warning label telling you to avoid inhaling or eating dust particles.
• Petroleum is used to make them (not sustainable)

Benefits of Real Trees 

• They are absorbing Carbon Dioxide and emitting fresh oxygen.
• For every tree that is cut down they plant 1-3 seeds.
• They are farmed in US & Canada so less distance to travel.
• 100% biodegradable
• No toxic chemicals (if organically grown).
• Able to be recycled, it is composted.

Negatives of Real Trees

• Pesticides and fertilizers, if used contribute to pollution of watershed.
• Lots of holiday trees are discarded.
• It takes 7 years to grow a average 7-foot tree, so there are thousands of acres used in the production of them.
• Fire Hazard.

The More Environmental Option 

If you already have an artificial tree, don’t throw it away.

Real Christmas Trees have the least amount of environmental harm.

The best option is to buy a live tree. These are potted trees that will continue to live after the Christmas season. They can be planted in your yard, also there are Trees for Rent and The Living Christmas Company. These companies provides trees and then takes them back and allows them to grow taller for the next year. A live tree is the best option for a truly environmental  Merry Christmas.

What kind of tree are you using for the holidays? In your opinion what do you think is the most environmental? Will the industry be able to move towards renting real trees?

“O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging; Not only green when summer’s here, but also when ’tis cold and drear…”

~Unknown Author

Is biodegradable another greenwashing scheme?

If you are unaware of what greenwashing is, it is an organization using supposedly “green” policies or products when their impact is not what it leads the public to believe.

Biodegradable isn’t compostable

Compostable

•  60-90% of the product breaks down within 180 day period
• 90% will be 2 mm or less
• Won’t leave heavy metals (that are toxic to the soil)

Biodegradable

• Will break down eventually may be 100 days or 100 billion years
• When broken down can be dangerous to animals, humans, and plant life

Biodegradable Cutlery

Spudware is made from 80% vegetable starch and 20% soy or other vegetable oils. unfortunately the problems that arise are that instead of oil-based product we will use more agricultural land which increases the cost of foods and other agricultural practices. How many pesticides or fertilizers are being used? Is this really more environmental?

Bioplastic

The production of bioplastic relies on oil-derived plastics, and is reliant on petroleum as energy and materials. Biodegradable plastic is made from petroleum byproducts and take centuries, and millions of years to break down.

95% of all disposable cutlery ends up in the landfill

Biodegradable products mainly end up in the landfills. When in the landfills they break down by microorganisms that produce methane. Methane is collected in the first two years but not required in the United States to be collected after. These biodegradable products take longer to break down and then the methane is released into the atmosphere, which accelerates climate change.

Unaware consumers

Again with many things environmental, the public is not aware of the extent of greenwashing that occurs with the majority of the products deemed ‘green.’ Unless the public is aware of the greenwashing of things like ‘biodegradable’ they will continue thinking that they are doing the better thing. My friend said “I thought I was doing a good thing that was beneficial to the environment, and now I find out it’s just another way for companies to benefit from me being uninformed.” She, like the general public believe what the packaging tells them.

Have you fallen for greenwashing before? 

If you want to find out if a product is greenwashed follow this link:

http://www.greenwashingindex.com/

“In the absence of facts, people believe what they want to believe”

-Jeff Butler

A group of Chapman Students got together and worked this clean up. We all walked to the creek bed site and volunteered for 3 hours picking up trash.

In the recent statistics Volunteers removed around 600,000 pounds of trash. Of this amount between 360,000 – 480,000 pounds came from inland sources.

Cleanups in creek beds like the one I participated in help decrease the amount of trash that goes out to sea. If this debris is not removed it can harm or kill wildlife, damage our economy, and can become a health hazard.

What was found

• Cigarette butts
• Plastic bags
• Glass
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Bottle Caps

My Reaction

I was truly disgusted by the amount of trash that was found in the creek bed. We found the things listed above as well as a mattress, a shopping cart, condoms, and electronics.

Inland to Ocean

The trash from inland ends up in our ocean. This creates pollution and is not good for the wildlife who live there naturally.

The video below describes the Pacific Garbage Dump and I would recommend watching it so you can be more educated on what happens to trash that goes into our oceans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a4S23uXIcM&feature=related

For our enjoyment

Enjoyment of the natural beauty

The beach is a place for fun and enjoyment, for tranquility and peace.

Our society views the ocean as such a magnificent place and yet mistreats it.

Society needs to take responsibility and take initiative to dispose of things properly, whether it be in the trash, recycling, or e-waste.

If you would like to help find a coastal clean up near you.

California’s Costaweeks are September 17-October 9

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/

Food For Thought

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient, One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach–waiting for a gift from the sea.”

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

The best thing about using these products is that more and more people are aware of going green so the products are easier to find now than they used to be. Just about any products you use from clothing to light bulbs can be purchased that are considered green products. With a small amount of effort we all together can reduce energy consumption and help lower green house gases.

There is some effort involved in locating green products. Green products are environmental friendly as they do not cause any damage to the environment at the time of their production. But, we have to appreciate the green products and their production to have a correct balance of thinking

Nature-friendly companies producing green products for cleaning, disinfecting, and laundry are cropping up in the hope to secure the environment from further deterioration. It is fortunate that these measures are being recognized and appreciated. There are some tremendous benefits to using green energy in your home or business. With a little bit of research, you can find ways to include green energy and products in your life.

If the demand of the green products go up the production will go up, more production means more availability and this will in turn help environment to be healthy.

When it comes to choosing compostable utensils, green products, biodegradable cups, forks, spoons, knives, bowls for your food establishment, consider choosing cups made from translucent Polystyrene. Polystyrene creates a very sturdy and durable plastic that make these plastic cups easy for your customers to hold.

Disposable products like forks, spoons, knives, bowls are environment-friendly solutions as well. Nowadays, they are available in biodegradable, recyclable and compostable forms which bring minimum damage to the ecosystem. Plastic biodegradable products looks formal and adds more elegance to your dining tables. They are strong, durable, lightweight and easily disposable. You can find them in cool new designs, vibrant colors and in a variety of makes and models.

Biodegradable products at biodegradableshop.com will definitely look good in the table, especially the stylish reusable ones, and your guest will appreciate their functionality and form. You don’t have to worry about them being damaged or losing their luster as you could easily replace them anytime.