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Description: The holiday season brings a lot to think about, especially, the Christmas Tree for those who celebrate. However, this raises a significant debate on whether to buy a real or fake Christmas Tree. But a more significant question is which is more sustainable? In the analysis, we weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each.
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foreign
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and welcome to the social talks an
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independent news platform bringing you
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stories affecting contemporary youth I'm
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James Maloney today's story will be
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focusing on the environment
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with the holiday season upon us families
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across the world have been decorating
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their homes to make their spaces Merry
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and bright for those who celebrate
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Christmas a home is not complete without
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a Christmas tree to put presents under
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on Christmas day with time being of the
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essence many families choose artificial
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trees during the holiday season instead
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of having to buy an authentic one every
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year according to CBS most wholesale
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Growers for authentic Christmas trees
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are now having to charge up to 15
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percent more due to supply shortages and
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the intensity of Labor that goes into
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their production Jamie Warner the
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executive director of the American
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Christmas tree Association told CNN
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quote planting fertilizing and watering
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are taken into account with real
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Christmas trees which have an
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approximate field cultivation period of
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seven to eight years despite the growing
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process and the difficulties that come
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with Christmas tree production it has
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always been a significant way to support
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local businesses where they are
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available with artificial trees there is
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less labor intensity however they are
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seeing a price increase as well some
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plastic trees with lights already
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attached can run up to one thousand
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dollars the economics of Christmas trees
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is what's on the minds of most consumers
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but what about the environmental impacts
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despite artificial trees being reused
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every year for as long as possible
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experts say that authentic trees are
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more environmentally friendly on average
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artificial trees would have to be reused
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for seven or eight years in order for
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them to have any positive impact on the
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environment however according to an
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interview with the American Christmas
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tree Association from CNN the positive
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impacts could be measured from at least
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five years and Beyond according to a
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2018 study
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social talks writer Sarah Cantor takes a
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further analysis into the debate on
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artificial Christmas trees she points
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out how many of the plastic trees that
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are purchased are manufactured in
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facilities that contribute to roughly 17
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percent of global emissions in addition
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these trees must be shipped overseas
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from countries such as China the long
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distance required to transport such
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products contributes to 14 percent of
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transportation's carbon emissions
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though fake Christmas trees seem to be a
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more renewable option the decomposition
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and reduction of emissions from
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authentic trees is stronger in terms of
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the environment of course this comes
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with some limitations in which fake
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trees are the better approach some
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families have individuals that are
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allergic to the sap produced by fur
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trees which as the species most
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typically used during Christmas time
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this substance is known as caliphany or
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rosin according to an article from Ohio
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State's health and Discovery page
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contact with such substances could lead
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to rashes similar to that of poison ivy
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they are also known to contribute to
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difficulties in breathing in which the
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best solution is to limit exposure it is
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possible to live with a real Christmas
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tree despite allergies however this is
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one factor that explains the benefits of
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fake trees
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through this analysis it can be
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concluded that real trees have more net
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benefits to the environment than that of
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fake ones their production requires low
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emissions and they can be used as a
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renewable source of energy not to
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mention their decomposition is much
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safer and more natural than that of
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their counterparts however fake trees
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can benefit the environment if you are
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willing to hold on to it for a
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significant period of time they're less
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messy and can be a great option
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regarding health concerns whichever you
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choose we hope that you celebrate the
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holiday season safely and with a plan
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for sustainability
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thank you so much for watching for more
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news and content please feel free to
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head over to our website at
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thesocialtalks.com I'm James Maloney
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happy holidays everyone and we look
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forward to seeing you again
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