The market for REAL Christmas trees has been declining for as long as anyone can remember, largely due to the FAKE plastic ones from China. Most people understand that plastic trees are environmentally hazardous. We think of the giant plastic factory in China, belching toxic black smoke and the freighter, guzzling diesel across the Pacific. Not to mention the warning label, reminding us to not breathe the fumes of the PVC plastic.
In contrast, there are 30 million “REAL” trees replanted every year in the USA, creating jobs and converting green-house gases into pure Oxygen for us to breathe.
Some farms like PATCHEN actually grow multiple trees, year-after-year from the same stump. So, compare the number of trees sacrificed to make the shipping box for the FAKE one to the countless years of REAL trees from a single stump. “It’s a no brainer”, says Jim Beck, Santa Cruz Mountain Christmas tree rancher of over 50 years. Beck is also a Silicon Valley engineer and serial entrepreneur, having invented things like the WeedSeeker® , which reduces herbicide usage in farming, and Tree-Fresh Products , which are 100% biodegradable.
According to Beck, “buying a FAKE plastic tree is one of the worst things we could do for our economy and for our environment. Making the plastic consumes petroleum, the plastic factory pollutes the air, fuel is wasted in shipping, and jobs move from California to China. FAKE or “REAL” – which would you rather have in your living room this year?”
We all love that fresh pine aroma but most of us object to spilling water on the carpet or having a leaky tree stand ruin hardwood floors. Beck says, “Water belongs in the shower or kitchen sink – not in the living room. Using ice instead, along with this revolutionary new organic polymer, known as Crystal-Fresh® is a far better choice. The melting ice gets absorbed by the polymer, which then hydrates the tree. If you drop an ice cube, you just pick it up – no mess”.
According to Beck, “the biggest benefit comes at the end of the season when the tree goes outside”. Dirty water left in the stand inevitably spills on the floor, but not with Crystal Fresh® . No need for the turkey baster, down on your hands & knees with a roll of paper towels. If a little of the polymer spills out you just pick it up and throw it in the flower garden.
All of the PATCHEN / Old Summit Tree-Fresh Products , including Fresh-Patch, Bio-Stand, and Bio-Bag are all 100% biodegradable, totally nontoxic, and kid safe & pet safe. Even the containers they are shipped in are biodegradable. Patented for this purpose by Beck, they are offered at PATCHEN, the Historic Choose & Cut ranch in the hills above Los Gatos, and also at a growing number of retail stores and Christmas tree lots around the Bay Area.
Contact:
Jim Beck, Owner ( Jim@PatchenCalifornia.com )
PATCHEN California
22217 Old Santa Cruz Hwy
Los Gatos, CA 95033
www.PatchenCalifornia.com