Father's Day is just around the corner, 19th June, and it's time to celebrate the fathers out there and fatherhood. A celebration that dates back to 1910 was at first met with a certain amount of cynicism, but luckily times have changed since then and with it our notions of fatherhood.

If you don't want to gift yet another tie or bottle of whisky or aftershave, we've put together some alternative ideas on how to celebrate Father's Day.

However, if you still want to give your dad a present that is kind to both him and the environment, Nigel's Eco Store is kindly offering 10% off for all Hippyshopper readers. Simply head to their website and enter the code 'HIPDAD' at checkout. And just in case you forget to buy a present the code is valid until 21st June!

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has been named top 'green' celebrity in a new survey, ahead of Jamie Oliver and HRH the Prince of Wales.

Rio Ferdinand - who is developing an eco-mansion in South East London - and Cornish TV star Dick Strawbridge were also in the top five.

The survey by Tata Steel Packaging Recycling also looked at awareness for recycling and found that nearly half (49%) of adults admitted their children know more about recycling than they do. Paper was the most known recyclable material.

Nicola Bennett of Tata Steel Packaging Recycling, said: "The results are testimony the work done by Hugh on sustainable living and the impact this has had on the public. It's also no surprise to see many adults admit children are the future when it comes to recycling as the average school now recycles 45 kg of waste a year, compared to a 138 kg per adult. This gap is very small when one considers the amount of waste an adult creates.

"Many adults identify with recycling products rather than materials which mean some recyclable products can be put in non recyclable waste. Steel, for example, takes many forms and your son's old bike is just as recyclable as a can of beans. More can be done to increase awareness of materials rather than just products as this will help adults follow the lead of children and help Britain recycle more."

The top ten UK eco celebs are:

As part of my role as editor of Bridalwave, I stopped by the White Gallery International Bridal Design Fair this weekend to check out what's to come in bridal design in 2012.

One of the designers I came across was Sanyukta Shrestha, whose bridal creations, from her innovative bridal gowns to bridal millinery and accessories are embedded with her vision of 'love green - believe in ethics' ethos.

Sanyukta's original vintage-inspired bridal gowns and hats, radiate true romance that embrace the best from the 1920's to the 1970's.

Each style is made following ecologically green guidelines, with fabrics from ethical and fair-trade certified manufacturers. The making of each piece is made using innovative sustainable fabrics, such as organic silk, 100% bamboo, soya, 100% organic and fair-traded cotton and even banana!

Check out some of her designs below!

The last few decades have been dominated by urbanisation, digitalisation and an admiration for consumption. These days, you'll find a growing number of counter-movements springing up that advocating for a more sustainable and responsible way of dealing with our environment and bringing nature back to our cities.

My Green City - Back to Nature with Attitude and Style (Gestalten, £35.00) is a compilation of the ideas and projects from around the world that are promoting a more environmentally friendly lifestyle - from urban farming initiatives and architectural visions that are changing our cities, to furniture and other everyday objects that can make our streets and homes greener.

Among the many inspirational projects included in this book, some of our favourites are: Vacant Lot allotment garden by What if: projects (Shoreditch, London May 2007) which took use of vacant and unloved city spaces and turned them into temporary allotment gardens; the Ann Demeulemeester shop in Seoul, Korea by Mass Studies which is covered in grass on the exterior surfaces; the many varieties of seed bombs - the munitions of guerrilla gardeners in the fight against the neglect of public spaces. In fact, there are far too many great eco-friendly ideas to mention!

We liked the book so much that we have teamed up with Gestalten to give one lucky Hippyshopper reader the chance to add 'My Green City' to their book collection.

TO ENTER

To enter the competition simply Like Hippyshopper's Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/Hippyshopper and leave us a comment below telling us which city in the world you think is greenest and why. We'll pick the winner based on our favourite message, so don't be shy!

COMPETITION CONDITIONS

- Competition closes on Friday 27th May 2011 at 23:59.

- Only Hippyshopper Facebook page fans will be eligible to win the prize.

Food waste. It never stops to amaze me how much food we actually throw away each year.

Personally I am a repetitive food waster. I go to the shops and get mesmerised by the colours in the fruit and vegetable aisles - usually post-work and without a shopping list - and end up buying more than I need or will eat over the next couple of days. What usually happens? At the end of the week I will find a half full salad bag or a lonely courgette at the back of my fridge, too far gone to even attempt to rescue parts of it. So in the bin it goes.

According to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, UK households throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food every year, most of it could actually have been eaten. This amounts up to an average of £680 a year thrown out with the rubbish.

Why are we wasting so much food?

Well, a lot if it falls into the categories of 'cooking or preparing too much' or 'not using food in time'. How often have you not bought a bag of apples because they looked delicious, only to forget about them until you re-discover them a little soggy and brown. Not so appetising anymore, are they?

Another reason for food waste is simply because people's plans change. You might have planned to use that mince before its use-by-date tomorrow, but then a last minute call from a friend sees you heading to a restaurant in town.

And how are you with leftovers? In the freezer for another day or can't stomach eating one day old food?

How can I cut my food waste?

There is a group of people called freegans who live according to alternative strategies. Combining the words "free" and "vegan", Freegans avoid buying any products to the greatest degree possible. Instead of heading to their local shop entrance, they head to the back of buildings to rummage through the rubbish of retailers, offices, residences and other facilities to recover food and beverages, as well as other goods.

But if this is not your cup of tea, here are some tips on how you can reduce your food waste and perhaps even save a few pennies in the long run.

80 million Easter eggs are eaten every year with the industry making hundreds of millions pounds of profit. We get chocolate, they get money, a win-win situation. In fact Easter eggs can have a downside and it's not just the sugar-low, a survey by Friends of the Earth revealed that in 2007, 4,370 tonnes of cardboard and 160 tonnes of foil waste was created by packaging. Also, cocoa production has a long history of alleged labour rights abuses and deforestation in third world countries.

Here are our favourite choices of ethical Easter gifts, be it fair trade chocolate, environmentally friendly dyed egg baskets or hand crafted eggs by local artists in Kashmir, to ensure that you can look out for the earth whilst simultaneously gorging yourself on delicious chocolate treats.

Scandinavia is known for its green thinking and focus on eco-friendly materials, so it was just fitting that a Scandinavian brand would be the first to be featured in our Eco Fashion Focus.

FIN Oslo is a Norwegian label that was founded in 2007 with the vision of introducing high fashion collections that were also environmentally sustainable. Head designer Per Sivertsen explores interpretations of contemporary femininity in his quest for perfection.

"Taking inspiration from ever-evolving surroundings, FIN Oslo collections epitomize a modern, sophisticated Scandinavian look. The signature dusty colours, flowing volumes and attention to detail have led to a strong identity, visible through the collections."

All products are produced ethically; ensuring fair trade values are followed; and are made from organic cotton and bamboo, wild non-violent silk, baby Alpaca yarn or milk fabrics (made from surplus milk proteins that are not intended for food).

The company also buys climate credits based on the level of CO2 emissions from the production of FIN Oslo garments - the funds are consequently invested in renewable projects in the countries where the clothes were produced.

If you'd like to know more visit FIN Oslo's website.

On our daily quest to find the eco movements out there we came across Green Office Week - yes there is a week for everything these days.

It's all good being green at home, but what is the state of your office? A 2010 Avery environmental survey found that one in three office workers has a lazy attitude when it comes to looking after the environment at work, despite 69% believing that being eco-friendly at work will make a substantial difference to the environment.

Simply by making a few small changes you can make a difference to the environment - something we all should be doing every day of the year. Green Office Week (GOW) runs from Monday 9th May to Friday 13th May this year and is encouraging you to make your office greener by daily themes. So why not use this year's Green Office Week as a start to a greener office environment!

Check out the gallery below to see how you can make your office greener in just five steps!

It's always great to come across unusual and inspiring green art projects. Have you ever heard of "reverse graffiti"? Neither had we until recently.

Reverse graffiti is when you take filthy, moss covered surfaces and wipe away the dirt to create amazing green artworks.

UK artist Paul Curtis, or Moose as he calls himself, is a reverse graffiti artist. It involves no paint. No defacing. Moose makes his art by cleaning; removing the evils of dirt and pollution by wiping it away.

Below are a few examples of Moose's work. Looking at makes us want to invest in some cloths and a bucket to fill with water and head out in the London streets.

Environmental artist Ha Schult has installed his army of one thousand life sized trash people in the Arctic at Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

The German artist has travelled the world with his sculptures made of discarded materials since 1996 and has been below the La Défense arch in Paris, in the aptly named Piazza del Popolo (the people's square) in Rome, by the pyramids of Giza and now the freezing conditions of the Arctic.

Images: top - www.lokalstyre.no / all others www.haschult.de

This year Mother's Day falls on Sunday 3 April. A celebration of mothers and motherhood since Roman times, UK tradition has it that Mothering Sunday was the day when young boys and girls working as domestic servants were given the day off to visit their mothers. In modern times, Mother's Day is more a day to dote on your mother and show her you appreciate her and the love she so unconditionally gives for the 364 other days of the year.

We love giving and receiving presents as much as the next person, but thought that this year it could be fun to put an eco-twist on it all. So we spoke with Nigel Berman from Nigel's Eco Store to learn his tips on how to show your mum that you care in an eco-friendly, sustainable way.

To celebrate mums all over the world - and in case you can't bake, pick flowers or make anything - we have teamed up with Nigel's Eco Store to give you 10% off your order for eco-friendly Mother's Day gifts.

Simply head on over to our Facebook page, like us and we will send you a discount code tomorrow 15 March to use online.

From ShinyStyle

Scandinavian fashion - and style - is wildly popular outside the boarders of the northern region, with its clean, minimalistic and understated stylish designs.

Danish label Noir epitomises the Scandi style and we are excited about their Spring/Summer 2011 collection. Using a mix of tailored leather juxtaposed against feminine cuts, silk and lace, Noir creates eco-friendly apparel that aims to turn corporate social responsibility "sexy."

Need inspiration for a greener Valentine's Day gift for the lady in your life?

If you're looking for something a bit different than the traditional chocolate and flower combo for your darling, check out our gift guide for her this Valentine's.

I'm partial to adding a few Nordic knitwear items to my winter wardrobe. Yes, it could be because I'm a Nordic girl at heart - born and raised in the Arctic regions, where the winters were cold and dark - or simply because the patterns are so cute!

With the snow chaos of Britain fresh in mind, how about updating your 2011 winter wardrobe with these stylish, yet warm, Nordic inspired items from Ethics Girls and Lunacy?! Ja! And they are made with fairtrade wool - double Ja!

Most of us have goals and resolutions for the new year. These can be anything from wasting less food to drinking more water. But do you think about what you carry your products home in when you go shopping? Why not make one of your resolutions to ditch those nasty plastic carrier bags, and invest in one of these gorgeous reusable shoppers from Re-Uz London? Not only are they pretty to look at, they will also make you become greener and help the environment.

For only £6.99 these bags can be used time and time again - and will brighten up those dark and rainy months ahead!

Available from Josoblu.