TODAY'S TURN: Dream of a "green" Christmas

THE ISSUE:
Real Christmas trees are making a comeback. Last year, nearly 29 million households decorated a real tree for the holidays, according to the Nat'l Christmas Tree Association -- yes Virginia, there really is an NCTA. Personally, I've always hated fake trees out of principle; plus anything fake means paint, chemicals and plastic. So I'd say this is good news.

But they have to grow them somewhere, right? 29 million trees takes up a lot of space. And just like any other farm crop (and they do come from farms, not cut down from our forests, by the way), there are potential problems with erosion, water pollution and excessive pesticide use. Not to sleet on anyone's holiday parade, but not all growers have the environment's best interest in mind.

THE GOOD TURN:
When shopping for your Christmas tree this year, watch for a certification tag from the Coalition of Environmentally Friendly Growers. Two of the biggest tree growers in our biggest tree-growing state (Oregon) created a coalition to certify farms that operate to environmentally-friendly standards. Criteria look at impact on wetlands, pest control practices, water and soil conservation, and worker safety among other things. (Stories of what it's like to work with some industry-standard pesticides raised my eyebrows, but I don't know enough about the issue to have a good take, so that's best saved for another post.)

Yule Tree Farms and Holiday Tree Farms created the coaltion to share sustainable practices with the industry and to teach consumers about how trees are grown.

The intentions are good, but you'll probably have trouble finding a certified tree, at least for now. Only about 200,000 trees will be tagged this year, and the program isn't nationwide yet. But several tree farms have signed up to be inspected, and these guys seem to have a lot of industry clout. So I'd say it's a good start and something to watch for.

No click necessary to do this Good Turn. Just keep your eyes open.