Armchair Critic,

Every item made for humans requires a resource from the natural world - and toxic plastic Christmas trees are not part of the solution.

"Artificial trees are manufactured using a polyvinyl chloride (or PVC), which is a petroleum-derived plastic. The raw material for fake Christmas trees is both non-renewable and polluting. Furthermore, PVC production results in the unhealthy emission of a number of carcinogens, such as dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride.

Additionally, in order to make the PVC needles on artificial trees more malleable, the manufacturers use lead and other additives that have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological, and reproductive system damage in lab studies on animals. The Children’s Health Environmental Coalition warns fake trees "may shed lead-laced dust, which may cover branches or shower gifts and the floor below the tree." We need more Christmas tree farms in Australia.

http://www.science20.com/science_motherhood/great_debate_real_vs_artificial_christmas_trees

An ABC television series, showing remote Australian islands (Lord Howe Island) showed insides of remote species of birds (the only type in the world) dying because of the consumption of human made plastics in the seas surrounding Australia. Not a good Christmas present for them is it?

I think that if you've already bought a christmas tree, then you should get the most use out of it. Buying real ones instead of reusing the one that you have in storage is actually much more detrimental than not. In any case, the ones that have been produced, have been produced. What are you going to do about it besides demand that they shut down production plants?