e296. The Great Christmas Tree Debate

Do you have a Christmas Tree? If you do then chances are, even without thinking about it, you have taken a side in the great Christmas tree debate. You have implicitly taken a stance. You have chosen a side in an age old war that determines exactly what kind of person you are… whether you like it or not. Or perhaps, you’ve thought about it a great deal! Perhaps you’ve thought long and hard and explicitly made a choice because you realize the importance of this decision. One way or the other, you’ve decided to be either team real tree or team fake tree. On today’s episode, Mav, Katya, Hannah and Monica get together to debate the merits of real Christmas trees vs artificial Christmas trees. What are the environmental issues? What are the economic issues? What are the aesthetic and cultural issues. Are you saving the environment? Are you destroying it? Are you contributing to global conspicuous consumption. Are you using tradition to build community? Where do ornaments fit into all of this? Are we thinking about this too much? Probably, but sometimes that makes the best kind of episode! So give us a listen and let us know where you land in the comments. Citations and Links: * “Old Christmas Trees Can Build New Dunes” by Jennifer Allen * “What do we do with all those Christmas trees?“ * “Real vs. Fake—Which Christmas Tree Is Better for the Environment?“ * “Are real or artificial Christmas trees better for the environment?” by Allyson Chiu * “Are Christmas Trees Poisonous to Cats and Dogs?” by Melissa Murray * “208 ACTA Life Cycle Assessment” by The American Christmas Tree Association * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme * Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers * Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick * Follow Katya on Instagram: @justthatnerdkid * Follow Monica on Instagram: @monicamarvelous * Follow Wayne on Instagram: @tetroc2017...