NOBODY wants to be like the Grinch, whose approach to Christmas was as green as his skin – no cards, no gifts, no travel and no decorations.

But if you are dreaming of a green Christmas, here are some simple tips to make sure that you have plenty of fun and do your bit for the environment at the same time.

Christmas cards

Around 900 million Christmas cards are sent each year in Britain.

Reduce the number of paper cards sent by using electronic versions or buy recycled Christmas cards from charities.

After the big day, make sure your Christmas cards don’t go to waste by getting crafty and turning the pictures into gift tags and decorations for next year, or take them to a recycling point.

Christmas trees

More than six million trees are bought in the UK each year, creating a staggering 9,000 tonnes of rubbish.

But, if you’ve been wondering whether a real or artificial tree is better – there is no simple answer.

Artificial trees may be made of plastic, which requires large amounts of energy to make, and also creates by-products such as lead which can be harmful to both the environment and human health, but if you use them for life then it’s preferable to throwing out a living tree every year.

If you do go with the “real” tree, make sure it is from a sustainable source, without a large carbon footprint attached from an overseas journey to your living room.

Christmas lights

Lighting accounts for between eight and 15 per cent of household electricity, and a 100-string of Christmas tree lights left on for ten hours a day over the 12 days of Christmas produces enough carbon dioxide to inflate 60 balloons.

Use LED lights, which use up to 95 per cent less energy than larger, traditional holiday bulbs, for house and Christmas tree lighting and reduce the size of outdoor lighting displays or try outdoor solar-powered Christmas lights for some winter sparkle without adding to your bills or carbon footprint.

Remember to turn off your fairy lights before you go to bed.

Christmas wrapping

It’s estimated that 83 square kilometres of wrapping paper ends up in our rubbish bins each year – enough to wrap up Guernsey – so make sure that you use recycled wrapping paper, and try to wrap presents with ribbon or string instead of sticky tape.

Christmas gifts

Christmas is the season of giving, but there are ways to take part that won’t cost you – or the earth – the earth.

If you don’t want the jumper that’s several sizes too big, someone will.

If you can’t exchange your unwanted gifts you can donate them to charity or offer them on websites such as Freecycle.

Instead of buying a gift which comes from halfway around the world, buy an experience, such as a horse riding lesson, or sponsor an animal as a charity gift.

Be battery wise

Families can get through a lot of batteries, particularly at Christmas.

Batteries contain toxic chemicals, don’t biodegrade and are difficult to recycle.

If you’re giving a battery-powered gift, why not give rechargeable batteries and a charger too?

Buy locally

Ten million turkeys are eaten every Christmas.

If you can, try to make sure it has been reared in humane conditions and try to buy Christmas food locally, shopping at farmers’ markets or buying direct from the farm shop is far cheaper than buying organic in the supermarket.

Think of the benefits – the taste of chemical-free food, the reduction in food miles and carbon dioxide emissions, and reduced dependence on oil.

Food, drink and leftovers

When Christmas food shopping, use re-usable shopping bags or re-use old plastic bags.

It’s estimated that up to 40 per cent of food ends up in the bin and it’s always easy to cook too much, so use the Love Food Hate Waste website to help you serve the right amount of food for yourself, your family and your friends over Christmas and try to avoid leftovers by not making more food than your party can eat.

Southern Water is working with Sainsbury’s and Waitrose to give away thousands of fat traps and funnels to people buying their Christmas turkey or roast from participating Waitrose stores, or ordering online from Sainsbury’s.

The traps and funnels can be used to collect fat or grease for recycling instead of pouring it down the sink.

For more details visit southernwater.co.uk/paininthedrain.

Recycle

It’s estimated that we will throw away 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging over Christmas, so either try to buy presents without excess packaging or add it to your recycling wherever possible.

Along with your cards, wrappings and tree, make sure you sort all your food packaging over Christmas and recycle what you can, or save glass jars for your homemade jams and chutneys, or perhaps a local community or art group would like them for storage or craftwork.