Sundance Square holiday tree — is it worth it?

by Bernie Scheffler of West and Clear

So, they installed the big holiday tree in Sundance Square yesterday, and it’s a good-looking tree. And the Star-Telegram reported yesterday that it will be illuminated using 100% wind energy. I’m glad that Sundance Square has taken a leadership role in using cleaner energy, but I have a nagging question about the tree that I want to pose to you West & Clear readers:

Is it necessary?

I mean, I’m not trying to pooh-pooh tradition or anything… but it seems like a big waste, regardless of the energy source.

According to my (very superficial) research, a 54-foot blue spruce is probably somewhere around 30 years old, and it probably removes somewhere in the ballpark of 500 pounds of CO2 and other pollutants from the air every year.

It had to come here, presumably on a diesel truck, from Grand Rapids, Michigan - about 1140 miles. A typical 18-wheeler would burn 190 gallons of diesel fuel on that trip, emitting about 4218 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, not to mention all the nasty nitrogen oxides and other ozone-forming pollutants.

So even though emissions-free electricity is being used to light the thing, there are 4718 more pounds of greenhouse gases in the air because we cut it down and trucked it here. Plus 500 more pounds each year for the next 40 years (20,000 more pounds!), because the tree can’t do it’s job anymore.

It’s a serious question - is it worth it?

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