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Carbon footprint and eco-friendly aren't the most festive of words, but never before has there been so much emphasis placed on finding ways to look after the environment.

Ģ������Ƶ Jersey's Fiona Macpherson has been on the lookout for ways we can all do our bit for the planet this December.

From the simple - like recycling your wrapping paper, to the dedicated - like curing your own ham, we hope you find something to help you have yourself a merry, and green, little Christmas!

Replant your tree in the garden

O Christmas Tree!

The Christmas tree is one of the most traditional images of the festive season, but is it eco-friendlier to reuse a fake tree or buy a real one each year?

Sarah Ransom from one of the island’s garden centres explained that the greenest tree to purchase is a ‘live Christmas tree’, which is a planted in a pot.

She explained that you use the tree in your living room and then transfer it to a larger pot and�� sink it into the ground – which is ready to dig up and have presents piled under again next year.

Recycle for a greener Christmas

Tree farms

For anyone worried that huge chunks of natural forests get destroyed in Scandinavia each year so we can string up a few baubles then rest assured that Christmas trees are farmed crops – just like a potato.

“It’s quite hard to get your head around that they are just a crop because they are big and look like a tree,” said Sarah.

“They’re definitely being farmed – if the trees weren’t being cropped there would probably be nothing in that field space…if you’re living somewhere like Denmark your possibilities of crops are somewhat more limited than if you were further south.”

Put your tree on your potatoes!

If you’ve neither the garden space nor the inclination to re-plant a live tree every year then you’ll be pleased to know that there is a green way to dispose of your tree:

You can take it to La Collette where it will be shredded and turned into compost, which could well end up fertilising your roast potatoes for next year’s Christmas dinner.

Jersey Hospice are offering to collect your tree for recycling in return for a small donation. Call 07829 709 999 to arrange.

Use nature to decorate your house

Deck the halls

Of course decorating for Christmas is a whole lot more than sticking a tree in the corner or the living room – and there are ways you can make the rest of your festive finery more environment friendly too.

Local craftswoman Ann Winder suggested hanging walnuts, plain or decorated, instead of baubles.

She also said that dried poppy seed heads sprayed gold or silver and decorated with small leaves make attractive, and eco-friendly, ornaments.

You can also make like the carol and deck your hall with boughs of holly by collecting it from woodland areas in the island, not forgetting to pick up some ivy whilst you’re there.

Locally source your Christmas dinner

Green cards

When you’re buying Christmas cards try and make sure they’ve been made with recycled paper.

Or if you want to be extra kind to the planet and reduce your carbon footprint then handmake cards in the comfort of your home.

Of course it goes without saying that once finished with wrapping paper and cards they should be sent for recycling.

Greener grub

Locally sourcing your food will cut down on transport pollution, and if you really want to have a green Christmas cut down on processing pollution by doing it at home.

Perhaps you could take a leaf out of Francis Binney’s recipe book – he’s curing his own Christmas ham.

And nothing washes down the traditional turkey better than a glass (or four) of wine – local winemaker Andrew Green produces his own seasonal variety from blackberries picked at Noirmont.