91热爆

We try our best to be green throughout the year but it can cost more in time or money to be more environmentally responsible.听

For example by ordering your Christmas dinner online you鈥檒l save on the cost of petrol, cut down on food miles and support independent food producers in our patch as well.

Our guide will show that you can have an enjoyable Christmas (and possibly a far cheaper one too!) and be green in doing so.

Choose a living Christmas tree

It鈥檚 the most eco friendly choice. Artificial trees last for years, but they take a lot of energy to make and aren鈥檛 biodegradable. Real trees are carbon neutral - they absorb as much carbon dioxide as they grow as they will emit when burnt or left to decompose. Try a growing tree this year and plant it in your garden after Christmas, or put it outside in a large pot and use it again next year.

Buy food and gifts online

You can browse at your leisure, save on car parking fees and fuel and you鈥檒l find great quality food that can be delivered to your door. You can shop around and find the best price and save some money whilst you are at it.

Only buy what you really need

We all waste so much, buying far too much food in case we run out or just to make sure we have enough in when unexpected guests turn up. Throwing out food that鈥檚 completely unused because it鈥檚 forgotten at the back of the fridge is something that many of us are guilty of. According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) the food we waste shoots up to 80 percent at Christmas as we tend to panic and over-buy. So, plan ahead, think of what meals you鈥檒l have on each day, and stick to your shopping list. You won鈥檛 be tempted to over-buy and you鈥檒l save money too.

Make your Christmas lunch local

Sourcing your food locally can cut down on food miles and CO2 emissions and help boost jobs in our patch. Local farm shops, farmer鈥檚 markets and suppliers in our area are well worth a visit. Christmas lunch is the meal that we look forward to all year so why not try and make it extra special this year with food that you know has been lovingly grown and reared in our part of the world?听 Many local suppliers have websites so you can easily find out about the origin of the food you choose.

Avoid pre-packed fruit and vegetable. Buy loose instead it saves money and packaging.

Jill Christian runs Dropswell Farm in Trimdon Village and told 91热爆 Tees' Brigid Press and Harry Blackwood about her preparations for Christmas.

Dropswell Farm in Trimdon village

"We are not organic here, we do use fertilizers, but we try to sort of source everything here. We know what the animals are fed and we know how the animals are reared and how they are looked after and I think that it is just as important that you know the animals have a happy life and they are treated well right through the process.

"The way we rear it is like a slow traditional way. We are not intensive and I think that helps with the flavour and also with the beef and lamb we hang it for two to three weeks which definitely improves the flavour."

The farm covers 220 acres and is used to rear cattle and grow cereal crops. They have always grazed the cattle on the undulating fields overlooking Hurworth Burn Reservoir. In the winter they are housed in comfortable straw barns and fed on barley, oats, wheat and silage all grown on the farm. Recent additions to the farm are a family of pedigree saddle back pigs.

Order an organic turkey

Millions of turkeys are eaten every Christmas, so try to make sure that the one you buy has been reared in humane conditions. You will be helping animal welfare by choosing organic meat and poultry. There are a wealth of farms around so do your research.

Compost all your peelings

You can compost all of your fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells, grass cuttings, pruning鈥檚, leaves, small amounts of shredded paper and soft cardboard.You can鈥檛 compost meat, cheeses, fish, disposable nappies, shiny card or hard objects.

Don't waste your unwanted presents

Someone else鈥檚 nightmare gift may be your dream pressie, so that bright orange knitted and slightly itchy scarf from Aunt Pat could be perfect for someone else. You can always donate unwanted gifts to charity shops or get together with some friends and hold a car boot sale in the New Year - you are bound to be grateful for the extra cash!听

Another great way of recycling your unloved presents is to list them online at Freecycle. It鈥檚 a non profit making website hoping to cut down on landfill sites by offering a home for unwanted gifts.

Recycle your cards and paper

We send around millions of Christmas cards each year in Britain and the majority of those cards are thrown away. If you do enjoy sending and receiving cards take them to a Woodland Trust recycling point at branches of WH Smith, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and TK Maxx. Or why not save money and card and send an ecard this Christmas?

Remember the wrapping paper too. Far too much ends up in our rubbish bins every year. Either re-use it or recycle it. The Friends of the Earth鈥檚 website will give you inspiration and clever green ideas.