Have yourself an ethical Christmas

Wine

Unlike food, buying locally-produced wine may not reduce your carbon footprint. Believe it or not, driving your car just a few miles to pick up a bottle of local wine will omit more carbons per bottle than a shipment of wine from the Antipodes.

But it's estimated that buying organic wine will reduce your carbon footprint by up to 50 per cent through the reduced use of chemicals. Supermarkets tempt us with irresistibly cheap offers on alcohol, but companies like Ethical Fine Wines specialise in organic, biodynamic and carbon-neutral wine.

Christmas just isn't Christmas without a glass or three of the bubbly stuff, usually Champagne. But due to heavy use of synthetic chemicals to treat rot, Champagne is one of the most polluted wine regions in the world.

Look out for certified organic Champagne such as Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Non Vintage Brut (£20.95) which has been produced using biodynamic practices (farming according to planetary calendar and natural homeopathic soil preparations).

No room in the fridge? Store cold drinks outside, reducing the amount of electricity required to keep your fridge cold by minimising the number of times you have to open the door.

Leftovers

The presents have been opened, the guests have gone, and there's a mountain of leftovers in the fridge. If you're a keen gardener, turning your scraps and leftovers into compost for the garden is an appropriate finale to your ethical Christmas, creating nutrient-rich soil ready for planting next year's brussels sprouts.

If that's just one ethical step too far, there are plenty of recipe ideas for when you just can't face yet another turkey sandwich. Once the bird has been stripped, it's criminal not to boil the carcass down with a few leeks and onions to make a flavoursome stock that can be the basis of a Thai curry (also using the leftover meat), soup or risotto.

Uneaten meat such as beef or lamb can be minced to make a shepherd's or cottage pie, while leftover vegetables that are threatening to shrivel up can be thrown together to make a hearty winter soup for the freezer.