Since it's recently emerged that Croc shoes aren't as green as they appear (and in my book, any excuse to have a go at the vile things is a blessing) let me introduce a new concept in footwear that couldn't be kinder to nature. In fact, the shoes will make you a walking feeder for our feathered friends...

The makers of the seed-encrusted 'For the Birds' shoes say that their unique design aims to 'get us through the winter, bringing man an nature a little closer'. They go on to suggest that you wear the shoes while taking a break or reading a book, and 'you will soon have your little friends flying over for a small bite *pick*'(!)

You can purchase the German-designed birdseed shoes here. But whatever you do, don't wear them in Trafalgar Square...

I could just about see my breath when I walked out of my front door this morning, and I'll admit I went back in for a coat, so I guess I feel OK making this post. Even I - one of those crazy masochists who usually buys most of their Christmas presents in a mad 6pm dash on Christmas Eve - feel ready to start talking about buying in gifts for the festive season.

The Green Store has certainly whet my appetite for Christmas shopping, perhaps even to the point that I will try and avoid the Christmas Eve scrums altogether this year. The gifts in the Christmas Gift section are handily divided into price range groups - £1-£5, £5-£10, £10-£15, £15-£20, and over £20 - which is extremely useful for those of us on a very small budget. My favourite items would have to be this gorgeous three-piece mauve Anna Roebuck necklace, which is made from recycled plastic bags, and this extremely funky Eco-Office Stationery Set - and I know I'm meant to be a grown up, but the Animache Animals in the Kids section look rather cool as well!

Leaked cabinet papers have revealed that Labour has no intention of implementing its proposed plans to make a fifth of European energy come from renewable sources by 2020. The papers say that although attempting to back down from the agreement would be a "controversial" move for Labour, it is a necessary one, as reaching the targets would be expensive and involve "severe practical difficulties".

Also included in the papers are rather shocking plans involving John Hutton, secretary of state for business, attempting to persuade Gordon Brown to helping lower the targets. Brown is to be encouraged to speak to countries such as Poland, who do not consider global warming such a threat as other governments, and have them join forces with him in getting Germany and other more environmentally conscious governments to accept more "realistic" targets!

For those strange people who love nothing more than cycling at arctic temperatures and filling the road with Lycra clad arses this clock will be a great way to show everyone just how much you love your bike, as this recycled clock makes sure no precious part is ever lost. A single chain connects the face of the clock connected to the arc of a bike rim, which is used as the base, whilst recycled tire rubber is the clock face. It's the gift that keeps on giving. It's $78.95 from Bright and Bold

Everyone loves the classic Roberts Radio design, but this is the all-British company's first specially-designed eco friendly model.

The Gemini 21 has 150 hours battery life, which is five times the usual playing time for similar radios (it's a DAB, which means no crackling or interference from annoying pirate stations, as well as features like 'pause' and 'rewind'). The main problem with DAB is its tendency to guzzle up a lot of power, but Roberts has cut back the power requirements on the Gemini 21 as much as possible. The radio costs £79.99 and is available from various stockists or Roberts' own website.

Today marks the beginning of Energy Saving Week, so brace yourself for a barrage of tips on how to curb your carbon footprint on TV and elsewhere over the next few days. Some will be useful, some obvious, some probably total hokum. So I've gathered all the need-to-know energy saving tips I can find in this post for easy reference. Remember you can always browse our energy saving section for further suggestions.

- Hippyshopper's guide to saying goodbye to standby
- Top 5 green ways to keep warm
- Online standby cost calculator
- Get eco light bulbs in all shapes and sizes

Related: 22nd - 28th October 2007 is Energy Saving Week

Planning to move house? It seems that Bradford is the place to go for the green minded individual. The city was revealed to have the lowest environmental impact of any British city, in spite of its undeniably large role in the Industrial Revolution. Contrary to popular belief, Bradford's rivers were not polluted beyond redemption during this period in its history, and the streams surrounding the city are now a veritable haven of wildlife! Bradford also boasts large areas of green space, and has a number of successful recycling schemes in place. You can read more about Bradford's environmental initiatives - from their 'real nappy' scheme to the Forest of Bradford project, which aims to extend areas of woodland in Bradford - at the Bradford Environmental Action Trust.

Liverpool was voted the least sustainable place to live, with poor water quality and a lack of evidence that it is working towards a more sustainable future dragging it to the bottom of the list.

The survey of cities was carried out by charity Forum for the Future.

I've heard people get themselves into quite a tizzy over whether it's greener to dry your hands with tissue paper or by using a hand-dryer after a visit to the 'powder room', so I'm hopeful that this endlessly circular argument can finally be resolved with the introduction of a 'green' hand-drying machine.

The 'Veltia' hand-dryer is an energy-efficient alternative to the sort you normally find in bathrooms at work, in restaurants and in other public toilets. Instead of using hot air to dry your hands, it draws in cold air from the atmosphere, which dries your hands in as little time as 10-15 seconds. This reduces electricity usage quite considerably - by as much as two thirds.

Fashion Conscience is a new site for the fashion-minded green that promises to provide you with "everything that's hot, totally wearable, totally green and totally wearable RIGHT NOW". It's so chic, so fashiony. that if it weren't for the green bar across the top of the site, you'd be forgiven for assuming it was about as ethical as a fox fur coat.

But don't be deceived. Browsing this very slick site, you'll find plenty of bona fide green and ethical garments, all of which have been selected for trend-awareness and style. Labels you can buy direct from the site include Ciel, Enamore, Gossypium and more. You can browse either by label or clothing type, and there's also a good range of enviable ethical footwear.

But what I found most user-friendly and original about this site was its search by trend facility. Several of the season's hottest trends have been selected (greys, metallics and high-waists), with outfits put together by the site's stylists using ethical gear from the collection.

We've mentioned Envirosax before, but I just thought I'd remind you how great they are, and show you this gorgeous bird print version available from Rosie Nieper. I love the bright blue colour and tropical looking fronds of vegetation and it'll set you back a mere £4.95 which is an absolute bargain. Made with thick straps that won't dig into your palms and reinforced seams it'll give you a luxury shopping experience! [Via The Bag Lady]

Related: Bag a tote you'll never forget from Shinzi Katoh

Finding it hard to kickstart your brain on a Monday? Can't focus on work? Here's a fun language game to distract you that won't make you feel too guilty...

Free Rice, an offshoot of the excellent World Poverty Site, is a variation on all those other sites that allow you to donate just by clicking on a link. What makes this one so effective, though, is its addictive element; it's a word game that flashes up increasingly 'obscure' English words, then asks you to identify the correct meaning.

Each time you get the answer right, ten grains of rice are donated to hungry people in developing countries. This is distributed by the World Food Programme, wherever famine strikes.

So if you're in a bit of a lull and about to put on the kettle, why not give Free Rice a go. It'll sharpen your own vocabulary, and make you feel a whole lot better about skiving!

Related: Feed the hungry for free with The hunger site

Electronics giant Dixons today opened up an online Greenshop; a one-stop-shop for eco-friendly gadgets. By choosing to browse this section of the website only, shoppers can be confident that choices they make will conform to environmentally friendly standards, and will be more energy-efficient than many of the alternatives.

Products you'll find here include Hippyshopper favourites like the LG steam washing machine, the Solio hybrid charger and the Freeplay Devo windup radio.

Dixons, which teamed up with the Energy Saving Trust to launch the site, is also working with its suppliers to achieve more efficient product design, including the phasing out of stand-by functions on consumer electronics, the increased use of sustainable materials and a focus on energy reduction.

It's not just Hollywood A-Listers that are zooming around in eco-friendly luxury at the moment - London fashionistas are at it too. I've ganked this video of Shiny Shiny's Zara test driving the latest Smart Car model, the Smart ForTwo; a big hit at London Fashion Week. Being tiny, Smarts are all pretty hot on fuel consumption, but they've improved it even further now. This model's been given a 'very good' overall rating by environmental research unit the Oko Trend Institute. Whizzy!

Want to make sure you don't get the requisite garish pair of socks and large box of non-vegan chocolates for Christmas this year? Fed up with people forgetting your birthday? You could do a lot worse than making your way to the award-winning Natural Collection website. Once you're there, you can browse the fabulous range of products and make yourself a Gift List filled with deeply desirable eco-friendly treats.

With goodies ranging from beautiful items of fairly traded jewellery to handy and affordable eco-gadgets, and from eco-friendly baby accessories to green accessories for the office or study, I defy anyone not to find something they want on this site. Start securing yourself a Cool Yule now, and ward off the mouldy old Quality Street and the nasty socks before they're even a twinkle in the mother-in-law's eye!

I was a bit dismayed to see Terra Plana lampooned in the hall of shame that is Shoewawa's 'ugly shoe of the week' feature this week. This 'interestingly' paneled boot pictured was the culprit.

However, I decided it was important not to let the side down in the style stakes, as us greenies have a reputation to keep. So do you think Terra Plana's designers have got a bit carried away with this particular style? I've certainly seen much more attractive footwear made from eco-friendly, recycled and organic materials (most often in TP's stores!) but this style isn't doing it for me.