Have yourself a green Christmas

Gone are the days when a green Christmas meant munching on dry nut roast and exchanging gifts found in the local Oxfam shop.

Today, you can have a ethically conceived and beautifully executed green Christmas, with sustainable trees, home-made gifts and a festive carbon footprint.

Thanks to a host of new eco-friendly services and products, this Christmas promises to be just as enjoyable, less wasteful and far greener than ever before.

Eco-friendly Christmas cards The Royal Mail delivers some 150m cards and packages every day leading up to Christmas, according to WasteOnline, which means that around 1 billion Christmas cards - or 17 for every man, woman and child - could potentially end up in bins across the UK come January.

Do your bit by sending your loved ones e-cards instead. The British Library has a great collection [www.bl.uk/ecards], as does, surprisingly, Parliament [www.parliament.uk]. Best of all, they're free!

However, if you're not the HTML type and can't do without sending a message by post invest in a Christmas card with a difference.

Snowflakes, made by green company Kornflake (www.kornflake.co.uk) proclaim to make the "world's most environmentally friendly Christmas cards".

These individual card are created by hand from recycled breakfast cereal boxes, and then cut and stuffed into envelopes made from surplus West-End theatre posters. And at just £5 for a pack of 10, they're a steal too: get yours online at kornflake.bigcartel.com.

Come January, don't chuck those cards out, but plan on recycling them at any WH Smith or major Tesco store instead - or be sure to put them in with any other paper into your green box, if your council recycles paper.

Grow an eco tree Rather than buy a cut tree this year, why not invest in a potted, fairly traded fir? Ethical company Fairwind is selling fairly traded Nordmann firs for the first time ever this year, named 'Fair Trees' and grown using ethically sourced seeds.

A three-foot potted fir will set you back £44 (plus £4 for delivery), and can be moved outdoors and re-used the following year after this Christmas has gone. Get yours by logging onto www.fairwindonline.com or phoning 020 8374 6254.

For those of you who haven't the space to grow your own tree but have bought a cut one this year, be sure to contact your local authority to see if your tree can be collected after Christmas: only 1.2m of the 7.5m Christmas trees bought in 2001 were recycled, according to the latest statistics from WasteOnline.

Christmas wreath There's nothing more enjoyable than making your own wreath, with pine branches, moss and wire available from your local florist. You can then add whatever you'd like to your wreath - be they garish baubles or a collection of heavenly scented cinnamon, star anise and cardamom pods - then garnish it all with a bow and nail it to your front door.

For those of you looking for a quicker, but ethical fix, try a recycled wreath made by a small artisan project in Mali, £18, which uses materials such as recycled tins and cans to create a festive bunch of small boxes, bows, holly leaves and the wreath itself. It might not smell of Christmas, but it's sure to catch some eyes over dinner (www.biomelifestyle.com or 020 7254 7613).

Tree decorations Instead of rushing out to buy generic tree decorations this year, why not consider making your own, or investing in some fairly traded, handmade handicrafts instead?

You could also try felt decorations. Green company Biome has stocked a range of felt tree decorations, all handmade by a small women's collective in Kathmandu, which are sure to brighten up any tree. Our favourite is the set of five Christmas decorations, £6, which includes designs of Santa, snowmen, Christmas trees, angels and wreaths (www.biomelifestyle.com or phone 020 7254 7613).

:: Baubles A glorious collection of handmade papier-mache baubles depicting six of the best-known Christmas carols (think The 12 Days of Christmas and Hark the Herald Angels Sing) are available this year from Aspen & Brown, £19.95 for 6, (www.aspenandbrown.com).

Each bauble is not only green - handmade by a Kashmir-based family out of recycled newspaper - but ethical too: profits go towards the construction of a hospital in Sri Nagar, Kashmir.

:: Star If you're keen to make your own Christmas tree decorations, look no further than your backyard or local park. The changing leaves can be collected, dried, and arranged into a 'star' shape to hang from the top of the tree, along with some dried winter flowers and pinecones for a Scandinavian twist.

Greener gifts Instead of just buying a gift for the sake of it for your friends and family this year, try giving a gift that may make a difference, instead.

:: Green Living Guide Get your hubby thinking more greenly with Hugh Bowring's fantastic Green Living Guide, £7.99, Dennis Publishing, which is stocked with tips on how to go green on a budget. From ideas on how to reduce your rubbish to staying in an eco holiday lodge, your hubby - and your household bills - will be sure to thank you for such a well-considered gift.

:: Eco Dollhouse Perhaps the wiliest way to teach your daughter how to be more eco, the Green Dollhouse by Plan Toys, £149.95 (www.johnlewis.com or phone 08456 049 049) includes a wind turbine, solar panel, water butt, electricity generator and recycling bins - all specially designed to teach girls aged three and up about sustainability.

:: Knit Wit Knit your Mum her very own belt by using a DIY kit from Keep And Share, £18 (www.keepandshare.co.uk). Complete novices are welcome to get tap-tapping away as instructions, wool and belt buckles are included in the kit! Even if you end up with nothing but a long line of wool to give to Mum, at least she'll know it's homemade.

A nutty roast Does Christmas send a shudder down your spine as you know you'll have to explain to your in-laws one more time just why vegans and veggies don't eat roast turkey? Bake yourself an easy nut roast instead. This, and more Christmas vegan recipes, are available from the Vegan Society at www.vegansociety.com.

Easy nut roast (Serves 4-6) 1 medium sized onion or 1 small leek, chopped 30ml vegetable oil 2tsp (10 ml) yeast extract in 1/4 pint hot water 8oz (225g) chopped mixed nuts 2tbsp ground almonds 4oz (100g) wholemeal breadcrumbs 1tbsp sage Pinch cayenne pepper Salt and pepper to taste Saute the onion or leek in the oil until soft, not browned. Combine all of the ingredients together; the mixture may be slightly slack. Turn into an oiled ovenproof dish and bake in oven at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for 30 minutes, until golden brown.