Tip of the Week! Naughty verses Nice?

Posted on December 20th, 2010 by admin

Question: “Lon, which is better for the enviroment artifical or a real cut tree?”

Answer: “Nauty verses Nice” The nice option is to consider a living potted tree to be transplaned on your property or dontated to the local parks department for spring planting. But if that’s not feasible… Real cut trees are considered a carbon-nutral purchase for several reasons:

For every real Christmas tree harvested, up to three seedlings are planted and last year 60 million trees were planted by farmers
500,000 acres of production Christmas trees provide the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people
Real trees are recyclable – a critical step, please don’t’ throw them in the garbage!

Roughly 80% of artificial trees are produced in Asia. Made of non-biodegradable materials which eventually find their way to American landfills where they remain for centuries. When you factor in the energy consumption, pollution discharged, packaging and shipping; well it’s simply not worth it for generations to come.

Real trees are a renewable resource when delivered to a recycling center. Below is a list of local recycling centers where your tree may become:

Chipping material used as mulch or to sustain hiking trails
Stabilization of shorelines or new fish habitat
Cook County uses recycled Christmas trees to rebuild housing structures for natural wildlife that have been destroyed through urban development.

Below is a list of Recycling Centers in Chicago or check your village community web site for local drop-off locations. Drop trees off anytime “Just throw your tree on the pile,” they advised.

Chicago Christmas tree Recycling Sites: Bessemer Park 8930 S. Muskegon Ave. / Clark Park 3400 N. Rockwell / Forestry Site 900 E. 103rd St. / Garfield Park 100 N. Central Park Ave. / Grant Park 900 S. Columbus / Humboldt Park Boathouse 1369 N. Sacramento / Jackson Park 6300 S. Cornell / Kennedy Park 11320 S. Western / Kelvyn Park 4438 W. Wrightwood / Lake Meadows Park 3117 S. Rhodes / Lincoln Park Cannon Dr. at Fullerton Ave.(Parking lot east of Cannon Dr.) / Margate Park 4921 N. Marine Dr. / Marquette Park 6700 S. Kedzie / McKinley Park 2210 W. Pershing Rd. / Mt. Greenwood Park 3721 W. 111th St. / North Park Village 5801 N. Pulaski Rd. / Norwood Park 5801 N. Natoma / Portage Park 4100 N. Long / Riis Park 6100 W. Fullerton / Rowan Park 11546 S. Avenue L / Sheridan Park 910 S. Aberdeen St. / Warren Park 6601 N. Western Ave. / Wentworth Park 5625 S. Mobile