We've done some fairly extensive research into what eco-minded individuals want as treats this Christmas, but what do you give the green guy or girl who is already knee deep in energy-saving gadgets, vegan shoes and paraben-free face wash?
One idea that's bound to go down well (and you'll also still be able to get your hands on three days before Christmas, ahem) is films, books and other forms of entertainment based around the very subjects that have us going green in the first place: what I will clumsily refer to here as eco-entertainment. And this year, shop shelves have been brimming with it.
Follow the jump for a roundup.
An album - with no packaging
If you're skeptical that such as list as this should exist at all, don't forget that almost any form of entertainment can now be stored in digital format, meaning no excess plastic, wasted paper and card. We're not quite at the point where everyone's comfortable giving 'virtual gifts', but in many ways there's nothing strange about paying for someone to own an album, film or tune they'll watch or listen to for many years after the packaging will be lost or damaged.
The trend for virtual music has been around ever since the glory days of Napster and the free MP3. But now all that's been clamped down on, it's re-emerged following high profile steps by Radiohead, whose In Rainbows only existed in digital form for some time after its release. But if you really want to show how green rock music can go, pick up a copy of the Wave Pictures latest album, allegedly the greenest music release ever.
Classic viewing: An Inconvenient Truth
I'm always amazed at how many people - including those with a genuine interest in environmental issues - have somehow not managed to catch An Inconvenient Truth yet. Sure, some minor point of the science might not have been flawless enough to keept the nay-sayers at bay, but the film remains an important and topical commentary on what we know about climate change to date, and paints a solid picture of where we are today in the fight against it.
And despite what you may think, it's not all doom and gloom: Gore presents some positive and inspiring ideas for change as well as some hopeful statistics at the end of the film so your gift-ee should not be left crying into their free-range turkey.
Fiction: Kim Stanley Robinson - Forty Signs of Rain
Sci-fi nerds will know Kim Stanley Robinson for his Mars Trilogy where mankind seeks to start a new civilisation on the red planet. But his latest series of books are set much closer to home, and with more pressing survivalist concerns in mind.
Forty Signs of Rain is the first installment in this trilogy, and the plot revolves around the lives of scientists working to influence the government on environmental policy and drive home the message that action is needed against the climate chaos that is already in evidence around us. A topical read for anyone whose hopes of an eco-aware US administration have been piqued since this morning's news of Obama's new 'green team'!
Available in most book stores for £6.99
Start 'em young: Wall-E
Wall-E has got to be one of the best pieces of eco-entertainment I've seen all year, and if I had small children, showing them this charming film would undoubtedly be one of the first ways I'd try to introduce the concept of caring for our planet. Just don't go in for the hypocritical, plastic-based merchandise please; there are plenty of patterns online that will tell you how to make your own, more sustainable versions of Wall-E and EVE if your child becomes an instant convert!
Pop into your local branch of Zavvi, HMV or other 'record store' to grap a copy for their stockings.
The 11th hour - with eco-friendly packaging
Leonardo Di Caprio's feature length climate change documentary The 11th Hour is crucial viewing for any self-respecting green, and what could be more appropriate than owning a copy that comes in sustainable packaging?
With input from such world-renowned experts as Stephen Hawking and Wangari Maathai, the film aims to tell us exactly where we're going if we don't act soon against the climate chaos already menacing our world. Many have described the film as 'frightening', but that's all the more reason to take notice of its message and share it with as many friends and family members as possible.
If that all sounds a bit grim for Christmas, we've been promised that the DVD version contains 'unseen footage' that focuses more on what steps have already been made in the right direction and what we can do to keep that progress going. And what of the sustainable material claims? According to Treehugger, the DVDs have been made from "100% certified renewable resources".
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