Buying a christmas tree


28.2 MILLION
Number of real Christmas trees sold in the United States in 2008.

Pesticides on a farm


5.8
Pounds of pesticides sprayed on an acre of Christmas trees each year in North Carolina. To find sellers of organic, pesticide-free trees near you, go to GreenPromise.com/Resources and click on Organic Christmas Tree Farms.

White artificial Christmas tree


8.9 MILLION
Number of artificial trees imported to the United States in 2008 (most of them from China).

PVC plastic tubes


7.3
Pounds of plastic—mostly polyvinyl chloride, or PVC—contained in a typical artificial tree.

Silver artificial Christmas tree


20
Number of years a consumer must reuse an artificial tree before it has a lower carbon footprint than a real tree, according to one study.

Evergreen forest


1 TON
Estimated amount of carbon the average conifer tree can absorb over 60 years. Cities where you can "rent" a tree that will be replanted for you after the holidays include Portland, Oregon ( LivingChristmasTrees.org ), San Diego ( AdoptaChristmasTree.com ), and San Francisco ( SFEnvironment.org/greenchristmas ).

Christmas lights on a house


600,000
Approximate number of U.S. homes that could be powered for an entire year with the energy used by decorative lights every holiday season. Switch from incandescent lights to longer-lasting LEDs and you'll use about 90 percent less energy per string. To recycle your old incandescents, go to HolidayLEDs.com .

Recycle trees


4,000
Approximate number of tree recycling centers nationwide. Go to Earth911.com to find out where your tree can be turned into compost or wood chips (for gardening, mulch, or use on playgrounds and hiking trails).

More Ways to Go Green: 11 easy ways to save your planet

From the December 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine