The Newest (Temporary) Resident in Sundance
by BernieSo, 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?
31 Comments, Comments or Pings
Steph
They need to use a big ol’ aluminum tree instead. Then they can store and re-use it, or recycle it. And, it would look cool, especially when the sun hit it just right. Can we say oh holy light!?
Nov 18th, 2008
Kym
Oh holy light, Steph!
Nov 19th, 2008
chris
Bernie, the main thing I would offer to temper your remarks is that you fail to consider the benefit done by the tree replanted in this tree’s spot.
I suppose the bottom line is that very few romantic gestures make good sense, and a community Christmas tree is very much a romantic gesture, at least in the sense of creating a romanticized holiday version of downtown. Is the benefit to the community spirit sufficient to justify the costs? It’s kinda hard to quantify. But yours is certainly a fair question to ask.
Nov 19th, 2008
Westsider
Bernie…you got way to much time on your hands. If one follows thru, lets cancel the Presidents inaugural, how may buses or people will be driving to that. Better not head down to Austin either. Lets not order presents or buy anything that is shipped into Fort Worth, most of us don’t use everything we are given. Finally lets ban Santa Claus, he looks like a candidate for diabetes and sends the wrong message to kids by giving candy canes. No Elizabeth there is no Santa Claus…Bernie cancelled it.
Nov 19th, 2008
Bernie
Wow, too much time on my hands? Sort of the Pot calling the Kettle black, wouldn’t you say D?
I’m just putting a question forward, because I think conversations about energy waste are really salient these days. I’m not anti-holidays. I’m going to have a christmas tree in my house, probably a real one. Of course, it will probably be one that was grown in Texas, because I try to be conscious of these things. And it won’t be a 30-year-old tree, either. But I digress.
The point is that nobody is trying to cancel Christmas, but joy of the season shouldn’t be used as an excuse not to consider the impact of our actions. Like I said, I’m proud of Sundance Square for using cleaner electricity to light the tree. It’s a step in the right direction.
Nov 19th, 2008
Westsider
Bernie I was just joking…..although Santa could go through the Cooper Clinic in Dallas.
Nov 19th, 2008
Bernie
Well, thanks for the clarification… sometimes it’s a little hard to tell what’s tongue-in-cheek and what isn’t.
Good point on Santa, though I’m not sure his extra “padding” is a bad thing living at the north pole.
Nov 19th, 2008
Rena
Chris makes a good point. Perhaps we could also hope that this will bring more attention to the benefits of wind energy?
Very thought-provoking…
Nov 19th, 2008
Jonathan
What a ridiculous question. Of course it’s worth it. You can’t quantify joy in pounds of carbon anymore than you can put a dollar value on it.
Don’t forget either that the only reason that tree was planted, watered, groomed and otherwise cared for over the last 30 years was to be cut down to be someone’s Christmas tree, and that another tree was immediately planted in it’s place. How many tons of carbon per year are removed from the air by the Christmas tree industry?
Whole forests would be turned over to housing or agriculture if they weren’t already in use by various forestry industries like logging, pulp and paper, and even Christmas tree lots.
Nov 19th, 2008
paul
There are probably a thousand individual elements of your daily life that you could treat with the same scrutiny. Why waste electricity on salons when no one really needs a haircut? Should we waste water on these useless patches of green in the downtown areas? Let’s cut out the daily longhorn drive in the Stockyards, shall we? Which items are worth the seemingly wasteful costs and expenditures?
We can’t live our lives with this type of draconian, penny-pinching mentality. The tree in downtown is a quality of life issue, and like many similar issues, yes, they are wholly unproductive, if not “wasteful.” However, the alternative is to live in cold, dark homes with mundane, cost-effective but sad existences. Saving money, saving the environment, yes… but living at what cost to enjoying our lives and community?
Nov 19th, 2008
Danny
4718 pounds sounds like a big number so you get some awe…but it wouldnt be as pronounced if you represented the number something more like 4% of the emissions of AN average US household.
Nov 19th, 2008
Bernie
Paul, you’re right- there ARE a thousand (probably many more) individual elements of our daily lives we could scrutinize. So why don’t we? I suspect the Sundance tree tradition will continue, and I’m OK with that. But I don’t think adopting an attitude of “we want happy lives so we should not question the way we live them” is going to allow us to make progress toward a less wasteful society either.
Nov 19th, 2008
Jeremy
I just wanted to say that I’m very much FOR the tree in Sundance. Bernie makes a good point and I do agree that we should be more aware of our footprint. However, at the expense of what? In this particular case I would say the smiles on people’s faces, the memories that are made and those that are remembered are well worth the environmental impact (which you could argue is relatively small to nonexistent).
Good topic…
Nov 19th, 2008
Tom Huckabee
How about replacing the current tradition–whose purpose
has been thoroughly separated from it’s original set and setting–with another tradition, which would be more relevent to our current hopes and concerns, while still invoking the tradition of our forebears. Each year, community artists would build a 54 foot “tree” out of scrap wood, metal and other cast off (and recyclable) materials, upon which the wind-generated lights would then be dressed.. Everyone would be allowed to contribute in some way, especially children, by adding an ornament.
Nov 19th, 2008
Adam S.
If Sundance Square does get rid of the tree, what is the impact on the environment? If Danny’s numbers are correct and it represents 4% of the average US household, I’m willing to say that it doesn’t matter if the tree is cut in relation to our fair city’s carbon footprint. That is if carbon footprint is truly an accurate measure of our environmental impact.
I hate to turn the tables on a good Wendy Davis man, but what is the carbon footprint of a typical political campaign?
Nov 19th, 2008
Jared
I’m just mad that, every year, this thing cuts off my short-cut from work to home and I have to drive an extra two blocks (granted I walk to the office 90% of the time)-making my carbon feet a half size bigger for the holidays.
Nov 20th, 2008
Bernie
Adam- Depends on the size/scope of the campaign, but it can get big. Really big. No need to feel like you’re turning the tables… I’ve thought about that very issue, and considered what we can do about it.
The first step to solving just about any problem is a simple acknowledgment of the problem. Air Quality, Global Warming, etc. are no exception.
Nov 20th, 2008
John Peter Smith
I don’t know to calculate a carbon footprint and have no desire to learn. However, Adam S. makes a very valid point. I’m willing to bet the Christmas tree downtown represents a tiny fraction of the trees used to print Wendy Davis’ campaign signs.
Which is fine by me. I only wish political campaigns would expend just half as much effort picking up all their signs as they do putting them out.
Nov 20th, 2008
Will
I think the city should cut down a tree on the West Lawn of the Kimbell and use that. It would take very little energy to transport a few blocks and also clear the way for the building that ruin Louis Kahn’s entrance!
Nov 20th, 2008
Linda Ld Jacobson, APR
Bernie,
I like the question and the ensuing conversation. Thanks for starting it!
That said, I think we here in Fort Worth can celebrate the holiday AND reduce our carbon footprint. Why not erect a Fort Worthian symbol of the holiday that leaves no carbon footprint? Why truck a tree in from Michigan? Can’t we celebrate Texas style?
Nov 20th, 2008
poop
Linda
Deck the prickly pear! No more need for ornament hooks.
Nov 21st, 2008
Adam S.
Can we decorate a stuffed longhorn? Perhaps the city can lease a Natural Gas rig from Aubrey McClendon? That would be a win for Fort Worth because of the reduced carbon footprint and it would help the CHK CEO with his cash issues.
It’s all about the win-win.
Nov 22nd, 2008
Tom Huckabee
Replacing the Xmas tree with a gas drill is pure genius. With prickly pears
as ornaments.
Nov 22nd, 2008
VinnyV28
While I admit, FW could have planted a permanent tree that would have continued to bring joy year after year, I don’t think this is something to go that crazy about.
The hardest part I’ve found out about being a Democrat – especially in such a red state – is that when we get our people elected and start moving forward even a little bit – the crazy extremist liberals start coming out of the woodwork and destroy all the hard work the rational moderates do.
It’s just a CHRISTmas tree (no, not a “Family tree”) folks. Sometimes “old fashion” traditions should just be enjoyed without having to worry about the underlying political statements some people seem hell-bent on making EVERY Christmas.
Honestly – sometimes I feel like when I have fun I’m either pissing off the extremist Christian Right-wingers or the extremist Politically-correct Left-wingers.
Nov 23rd, 2008
North Fort Worth Hippie
I think we should “Go Texan” and buy the tree from East Texas. They have tall one’s that will fit the bill.
Plus, if the lights on trees were lit by bad energy practices and Mayorial bullshit, our’s would burn the brightest in the nation.
Nov 24th, 2008
MartiniGirl
I for one am glad that this post and question have been put out there. By making the use of green energy and the carbon footprint a PR talking point, the debate naturally opens. I think it’s great to honor traditions, but you can’t tell me the tree couldn’t have been acquired in Texas. Or in the very least somewhere significantly closer than Michigan. Every little bit helps. Use of green energy this year is their start and next year they should look into acquiring a closer grown tree.
Nov 24th, 2008
Sonja
Although I do agree that everyone should study their energy use and consumption, including the City of Fort Worth, I have to say that the communitarian benefits of the Christmas Tree, in my estimate, far outweigh the economic and enviornmental cost.
How can we work on urban renewal if people won’t come out of their houses to experience what being in a community is like? And Sundance Square is a city treasure. There are plenty of cities which don’t have this kind of downtown, and we shouldn’t take it for granted or try to choke the life out of it. Without Sundance Sqaure, for example, it would be harder to win the war on streetcars, against urban sprawl, etc.
A polite letter to a city councilman suggesting that we buy the tree from east Texas might be a helpful thing, but to relate to what VinnyV28 says, being too negative and curmudgeonly about Christmas makes new urbanism look, as we used to say in high school, uncool.
Dec 1st, 2008
Jim
Okay, I too am glad for the topic Bernie- although I’d agree that the FW Christmas Tree provides benefits beyond monetary and is a good thing/tradition in downtown FW. Still, its nice to consider all our practices and their impacts on our environment.
That said:
Who else saw the Chesapeak Energy Float in this last Friday’s “Fort Worth Parade of Lights”? OMG, it was a Gas Well Drilling Rig with Christmas Lights to create a cross between Gas Drilling Rig & Christmas Tree. Ahh, a new Fort Fort Christmas Tradition- Gas Well Christmas Trees (available in 2010 at your local department store for your holiday decorating needs!).
Happily this float came along early in the parade and I was able to enjoy many other more “traditional” holiday themes before Santa rolled through at the end. It was however, a scary start.
Dec 1st, 2008
Recyclican
I hope someone has photos available of the Christmas Rig to share with those of us unable to make it. Was it ornamented with a blue flame in place of the traditional star?
Regretfully (for the Spruce) it is an iconic representation of the holiday. Despite how cool it would look, I think a mesquite tree with jalapeño lights and longhorn or chili bowl ornaments just wouldn’t draw the crowd.
Dec 2nd, 2008
Jim
Recyclian,
The Drilling Rig/Christmas Tree Float from Chesapeak Energy was in the parade near the beginning. It is also contained in photos on the Fort Worth Forum, in the “Websites and Other Things > Arts and Entertainment > Parades in Fort Worth”. Its the third photo in Monee9696’s second post in that thread.
Its at:
http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3340&pid=52221&st=0&#entry52221
If I’m not mistaken your post in that thread follows mine and “David Love”.
I hesitate to post the photo directly to here, but the link to it is http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/3066438807_ceb338c09b_o.jpg
You can just make out Chesapeak at the bottom of the float. In the photo it could almost be mistaken as a cactus- but in person, its a gas drilling rig.
The float was pretty silly in my humble opinion. Drilling Rig, Green Lights like its a Christmas Tree, and valve/faucet controls like they’re ornaments. Yuck?
Dec 2nd, 2008
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