The Green Parent Pick: Go get a real tree. Sure, it means cutting down a tree. But these days nearly all Christmas trees are grown on tree farms. So deforestation is not an issue and it is really no different than harvesting corn or any other crop. From a global warming perspective, sustainable tree farms actually provide a continued “sink” for carbon dioxide emissions. And real trees are not made from PVC plastics that are harmful to the planet. Just be selective about the tree farm you choose to buy from and look for one that does not use an excess of pesticides and other chemicals.

Green Parent Tip: Get the family together and head out to your local tree farm to cut your own Christmas tree. Surf over to to see if there is an organic tree farm in your area. When the holidays are over, toss your undecorated tree in the backyard to provide wildlife habitat or in the compost bin for next year’s mulch.

Live Trees: A live, potted Christmas trees may seem like a good option for Green Parents, however, you have to make sure that you live in an area where your tree will thrive once it is planted. In addition, live trees are truly not meant to endure the warm temperatures inside your home. So it’s best to either leave it outside or bring it in for only a few days during the season.

Green Parent Tip: If you really want a live tree, your best bet would be to find a suitable tree in your backyard, and decorate it (with eco-friendly decorations, of course) right where it stands.

Artificial trees: Artificial trees require the use of a significant amount of energy and petroleum-based (PVC) resources in their manufacture. In addition, most artificial trees today are manufactured in China, and are literally shipped halfway around the world to their destinations. And there are also some new concerns about residues of lead and other chemicals on artificial trees.

However, if you are going to buy one tree that you are sure you will use and reuse year after year for the next few decades, the environmental damage caused by producing and shipping your tree would be minimal when averaged out over the lifespan of the tree. And just think of all the gas and energy you will save from year to year by not having to head out to the local Christmas tree farm.

Green Parent Tip: Purchase an artifical tree that is made in the U.S.A to minimize the pollution and resource consumption caused by shipping. (Check out and for aritificial trees that are 100% lead free and made in the U.S.A.) Reuse the same tree from year to year.

Feeling The Heat?

You’ve probably heard the news by now that drugs are bad for your health, right?  But did you ever stop to think about what the illegal drug trade does to the environment?  Demand for illegal drugs destroys countless species of animals and plants, pollutes soil and waterways, and promotes deforestation around the world.

And I know I sound like your 11th grade Health teacher, but if you or someone you know is taking drugs, its time to get them to a drug treatment center.  Their lives and the lives of everyone on this planet depend upon it.  Here’s why:

Growing illegal drugs like marijuana destroys habitat for wildlife and pollutes the environment with arsenic-based pesticides, toxic fertilizers, and other chemical runoff.  Illegal drugs that are produced in a lab, like methamphetamine, are equally damaging as they create soil and water contamination that threatens fish and wildlife ecosystems.  For each pound of “meth” produced, five to six pounds of hazardous waste are generated and released into the environment.  This waste contains toxins such as lye, red phosphorus and hydriodic acid.

And probably the most damaging of all is the production of cocaine which has single-handedly been responsible for the destruction of almost 6 million acres of fragile tropical forest over the past 20 years in the Andean region of South America.  This area, with its abundance of plant and wildlife is easily one of the planet’s most valuable ecosystems.  In Colombia (a country which contains roughly 10 percent of the Earth’s biodiversity) 3 million acres of tropical rain forest have been devastated by the production of cocaine.  The loss of rainforests contributes to global warming and destroys the habitat that countless species depend upon to survive.

Illegal drugs are a tragedy.  They destroy human lives just as swiftly as they destroy the environment. So if someone you love won’t get addiction treatment or find a drug rehab program for themselves, maybe they’ll do it for the planet (or for the endangered Andean flamingo).  It’s worth a try, right?