• Buy local, seasonal, winter vegetables (these include sprouts, carrots, cabbage, leeks, onions, parsnips, swede and potatoes).
• Support your local farmers' market (visit Farmers Markets to find out your nearest farmers' market )
• Look for meat from traditional breeds of sheep, beef or poultry, raised naturally and locally. Ask your butcher about the history of the animal. If you choose a bird opt for free-range organic or even try an alternative like goose.
• If you can't buy local, buy fairtrade products such as fruit, nuts and chocolate
• Buy wine with real corks - not a single tree is cut down in their production and it is one of the most environmentally friendly industries possible. It provides essential employment for the people who work in the cork forests of Europe and maintains vital habitat for the endangered wildlife of these forests such as the Iberian lynx and the Barbary ape. The Natural Cork Quality Standard website has more information and guidance.
• Try to buy food and drink packaged in materials that can be recycled in your area, such as paper and glass and avoid disposable items on the Christmas table such as paper serviettes.
• Compost vegetable leftovers - get a wormery.
• Use 100% recycled aluminium foil or baking paper for Christmas cakes

• If you buy a real Christmas tree, check that it has the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo, which guarantees it has been sustainably farmed.
• Buy a small pot grown tree and plant it out after Christmas. Conifers to look out for include the traditional Norway spruce (Picea abies), and our native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) but only plant this out if you have plenty of room.
• Buy LED Christmas lights which, as well as lasting longer than conventional lights, use can 80% less energy
• Solar powered Christmas lights are also a great alternative - they can be bought in a number of online shops now, just search for them in Google or similar
• Use old cards to make gift tags.
• Send a E-card.
• Wrapping paper is often treated, coloured and sometimes covered in glitter which isn't easy to recycle - choose cards and wrapping which contain recycled paper (e.g. from the Woodland Trust or Natural Collection)
• Check if your council recycle real trees.
• Recycle any cards you receive, your local supermarket or WH Smiths usually provide card recycling boxes.

• Oxfam have a great range of famously, funusual gifts! Whether you want to spend £5 or £500, there is something for you...dedicate anything from an alpaca, a goat, text books or farming equipment - it's entirely up to you.
• The Woodland Trust has many alternative gifts for Christmas, including dedicating an ancient tree, wildlife habitats or ideas for donations.
• Make it a Fair Trade Christmas, choose from a huge range of fair trade food & drink or gifts.
• Use recycled batteries in your new toys or gadgets.
• Visit some of the online environmentally / ethically aware web shops below for more ideas.

Big Barn - find your local producers

Enter your postcode or a place name to find local producers near you. Searches will identify a wide range of local producers, including nearby farm shops, meat and fish producers, farmers markets, dairies and bakeries.

Taste of the West

Supporting speciality food & drink businesses in the South West. Facilities include an extensive directory of where you can buy local food and local food news from around the region.

The official guide to South West England - farmers markets

Farmers markets not only bring together a superb range of fresh, seasonal, local, produce, direct from the Farmer, but also offer the chance to sample some of the more unusual local specialities. Search for a farmers market near you.

Soil Association - organic food and farming

Includes background information on organic farming and a directory of where you can buy organic food.

Organic South West

Promoting organic food and farming in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - helping you to find suppliers of organic food.

South West handline fisherman's association

Fishermen from the South West have been hand-lining for mackerel, pollack and bass for over 40 years - providing a vital source of income for many inshore fishermen. Unfortunately, in recent years imports of farmed bass and worries about the sustainability of pair-trawl caught bass has badly affected the prices the line fishermen receive for their catch.

The South West Handline Fishermen’s Association represents over 50 handline fishermen in SW England. We are a group of fishermen who are passionate about the fish we catch and how we catch it and have developed this website and tagging scheme to provide guaranteed ‘hook to plate’ traceability. This site can be used by anyone in the supply chain from wholesaler to restaurateur to see who caught their bass.

South West local food partnership

A regional network to support the development of local food economies - bringing together Food Links projects in counties across the region, supporting and promoting farmers markets, undertaking a wide range of food projects, and providing training and business help to food micro-enterprises.

A lot of organics - the UK organic search engine

A wide range of information and links to organic suppliers of food, drink, pet products, household and much more.

Organic UK

A 'not for profit' website offering independent advice and support for UK organic gardeners. Information includes downloadable factsheets on composting, fruit, growing organic, mulching, pests and diseases and other general information.

The official guide to South West England - food and drink

An interactive map helping you to find a place to eat and drink in the region and experience the diversity of west country fayre.

Roots deli - fabulous West Country food

Just fabulous West Country food (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset) is sold in this Taunton based shop. Strong environmental beliefs are carried through from the produce stocked to the packaging.

Wordwatch Institute - Food

Discover more about the benefits of buying local produce, including:

• What is local food?
• The benefits of eating local in a global market
• A tale of two tomatoes (local versus long-distance)
• Links to research into the benefits of local produce

Website

Content

Ecotopia - environmental & ethical shopping

Ecotopia supplies a massive range of interesting and useful environmentally friendly and natural products including:

• Eco office
• Environmentally friendly cleaning products
• Energy efficiency items
• Clothing
• Environmentally & ethically friendly cooking

Ethical superstore

At Ethicalsuperstore.com, you can shop the widest range of eco-friendly and fair trade products including the best selling brands and the very latest products sourced from around the world. Products include:

• Energy saving gadgets
• Fair trade gifts and food & drink
• Environmentally friendly cleaning
• Kitchen & home items
• Garden & outdoor items

Litegreen

Litegreen is a unique online consumer information and shopping directory which makes having a conscience an easy, modern lifestyle choice.

The Litegreen website reviews the World's leading brands to assess their impact on the planet and their attitudes to workers rights. You can buy an enormous range of things online from fashion to food to toys to special treats - all ranges are shown but there will always be a Litegreen option.

Hints and tips are also provided to help you in your quest for a responsible lifestyle - shopping with Litegreen benefits the wellbeing of both the planet and people.

Green Guide Online

After two years of research the new version of the Guide Guide Online Database is now available.

The Green Guide is the most comprehensive directory of eco-friendly, natural, ethical and organic goods and services, containing everything the consumer & business user needs for a sustainable lifestyle & workplace.

There are more than 12,000 entries in the database, of which over 9,400 are available online now, with more added each week. This database is searchable according to theme (e.g food & drink), your region or your town. Green Guide Online sections which may be of interest to you include:

• Listings
• News & product reviews
• Green Guide competitions
• Events
• Awards
• Offers
• Book reviews
• Local networks
• Jobs

Oxfam

100% of the profit made from Oxfam shops helps fund our work in more than 70 countries, so you can make a difference. Everything you buy from Oxfam will help fund our work to overcome poverty and suffering.

Whether looking for fair trade coffee or buying a donkey for a third world community, the Oxfam website has a fantastic range of guilt free items.

Woodland Trust

A range of Christmas cards, calendars and other gift ideas, including dedicate a tree.

Ethical consumer

Exploring some of the major achievements brought about by consumer pressure over the years, and the philosophy behind ethical consumerism. Information also includes green buyer guides, helping you to buy the right washing machines, computers, cars etc.

Green choices

Helping you to make ecologically sound decisions in living your everyday life, including:

• Information on green alternatives
• Green baby
• Holidays
• Energy
• Schools
• Transport

Wrap - recycled products guide

A comprehensive listing of recycled products available in the UK with details of over 3200 recycled products.

Waste online - buy recycled

A guide to recycled products, including background information about what makes a recycled product and links to where they can be bought.

Centre for Alternative Technology

An online shop helping to make your life more sustainable, including:

• Courses and books
• Range of energy-saving products
• Green solutions

Eden Project store

A wide range of environmentally friendly and sustainable products from the Eden Project store, including:

• For the home & garden
• Stationary
• Clothing and accessories
• Food
• Beauty & well-being
• Best of the West
• irresistables

Women's Environmental Network - Real nappy project

Raising awareness about the environmental impact of nappies. The Women's Environmental Network encourage the use of washable cotton nappies to reduce waste and the impact on the environment and believe that people should have the information they need about real nappies in order to make a fair and informed choice.

Links also to:

• Women's Environmental Network
• Waste
• Food
• Health

Green baby

Green baby products including:

• Clothing
• Holiday products
• Nappies and laundry
• Equipment
• Maternity
• Toys

RSPB online shop

Environmentally aware products, helping to raise money for wildlife. Products include:

• Going solar - RSPB energy
• Wildlife
• Wildlife friendly food

WWF online shop

Fair trade and free fom WWF priority hazardous chemical products, including:

• Clothing
• Toys
• Eco-friendly household cleaners
• Wildlife and gardening

Woodland Trust - dedicate a tree

The Woodland Trust has a range of Christmas cards, calendars and other gift ideas for 2004 - such as dedicate a tree this Christmas.

Natural collection

A trading partner for Friends of the Earth, with a wide range of products for an ethical lifestyle including:

• Home
• Wildlife and gardening
• Food and drink

Ernest Charles natural products

A wide range of wildbird food, birdfeeders, wildlife habitats and interesting gifts for nature lovers.

Ernest Charles liaises closely with leading ornithological and scientific bodies, such as the British Trust for Ornithology and work in partnership throughout the UK with Wildlife Trusts.

A percentage from all orders is given to the Wildlife Trust.