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“The Lorax” has taught me many lessons throughout my life: to be passionate about what I believe in, to take care of those around me and why I need a thneed. However, the most important lesson from “The Lorax” that I have gained is that of how we should care for the environment; more specifically, how real trees are a whole lot better than fake trees.
As the holiday season approaches, many of those who celebrate Christmas or just enjoy the holiday traditions in general will be buying their Christmas trees. Recently, fake Christmas trees have become increasingly popular. It is estimated that 10 million artificial trees are purchased each year in the US alone by a study done by The Nature Conservancy. Many of those who partake in the purchasing of fake trees believe they are doing good for the environment by not cutting down trees, but unfortunately, they are doing the opposite.
Nearly 90% of the artificial trees that are purchased in the US are shipped from China. This creates an increase in carbon emissions during their trip across the ocean. Also, since they are not recyclable, these trees end up in landfills after their use expires. On the other hand, real trees can be turned into mulch or other lumber products—there are some organizations that use donated Christmas trees for conservation and habitat projects in their local communities.
Buying real Christmas trees also is beneficial to local businesses. The Nature Conservancy says that over half of US forests are privately owned. Buying Christmas trees from local suppliers gives them the profits to keep their land forested. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, farmers plant one to three seedlings in place of each tree purchased. When buying locally, this means that not only are you supporting local businesses but you are also helping the environment in the process. Plus, you can never really replace the crisp and nostalgic smell of fresh evergreen with plastic.
With global warming becoming an increasingly big problem, it’s important that we all do our part to help the environment, no matter how small that part seems. As the Lorax preached to us all, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
