The choices you make about how and where you spend is where the power to make positive change lies. See our simple four step guide to ethical consumerism to learn how you can become part of making the change.

Locally sourced
Ever felt guilty about your carbon footprint when you've taken a holiday abroad? Well, don't forget that the last grapes, oranges or wine you bought probably took the same journey before making it to your local supermarket. Luckily, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons now all stock locally sourced products, so pay attention the country and area of origin labels on fresh produce when you buy.

Second hand
Charity shops are a good place to start, especially for Fairtrade fashion. Oxfam have revamped several stores which are now dedicated to fashion and even sell some special items online. If you have plenty of time to rummage and an eye for fashion, then you'll be surprised how many fashion finds there are in almost every charity shop.

If you can't find what you want in a charity shop, try local newspapers, or buying second hand online. All second hand buying prevents unnecessary waste and unnecessary production.

I most know Natalia Imbruglia for being a singer (and sometimes an actress) but it seems she's also a campaigner for environamental issues! She's teamed up with Ecover to make the film below about the importance of water cycles.

Natalie said: "There's often an abundance of water in the UK, so it's easy to forget the very real issues of water shortage and pollution in other parts of the world. The video is a great way to learn more and offers some really simple tips on how we can all make a difference."

Please visit Natalie's guest spot on Water Aid's site, where you can also order a free watercare pack to find out how hard your money can work to solve problems of safe water and sanitation in Ethiopia

It's definitely picnic weather this weekend, and in many ways there's no greener way to eat. Here are a few tips on how to ensure your al fresco adventures are as green as possible!

• Before the fun starts, make sure your guests are all well versed in appropriate litter disposal: nothing like strewn coke cans and plastic plates to ruin a nice walk in the park.

• Don't forget to bring different bags for a temporary, mobile recycling scheme - labelled if you want to be really organised! Your supermarket bags for life should do the job.

• Some collateral cutlery damage hard to avoid with larger groups, so to ensure minimal impact on the environment, consider buying the biodegradable sort like this set from Ethical Superstore. You might also want to let your friend know in advance that you'll be providing cutlery so they don't bring their own.

Read on for more picnicking tips!

This stylish and funky hemp bag is more than just your average eco friendly shopper (and heaven knows we've already got enough of those lying around!): it's a wearable loyalty card too, which helps you save money whenever you shop responsibly.

Pick one up for £14.99 at Bags of Change, and you'll have instant access to great discounts in a network of ethical independent retailers approved by the scheme. You'll also benefit from bargains at several of our favourite online retailers, including Nigel's Eco Store, Greener By Nature and more. The site adds new retailers every week, and profiles loads of interesting places to indulge in a spot of hippy shopping. Check out the listings section here for more info.

Related: Interview with Wedge Card founder Diana Bird

If you're wanting to reduce carbon emissions at home, the kitchen is a good place to start as it's the room with the most things that heat up and burn their way through the most electricity and gas. It's also where most of our cleaning products live and is the best place to handle recycling, so this post is all about how you can do that in style.

Follow the jump to find out about some of the shiny new products currently available to help green up your kitchen in time for spring.

With Valentine's falling on a Saturday this year, there's no excuse not to pamper your lover silly, from breakfast 'till bedtime. Here's my idea of the perfect, earth-loving valentine's experience; you can pick and choose as much or as little as you like.

Breakfast in bed

Start the day with some buck's fizz using fairtrade, organic champagne and a soft and runny free-range boiled egg with dippers made from freshly-made bread. Finish off the meal with some delicious and wholesome muesli; Alara's fairtrade muesli, which is spiced with cinnamon and honey, is particularly scrummy.

Fair and floral

It should soon be about time for your delivery of a dozen fairtrade red roses to arrive: you can choose from loads of beautiful bouquets here.

Follow the jump for more eco-friendly valentine's fun

Related: Green Valentine's treats for her | Green Valentine's treats for him

Believe it or not, the end of January is just over a week away, and it's about this time of year that many of us really start to struggle with resolutions. I've tried to get around this problem by setting myself longer-term 'life goals' so I don't beat myself up too hard when I slip, and have found it's far easier to stick to these plans when they're not too rigid. And I've also found that this is also the best way to approach green living, since in an age of excessive packaging, cheap clothes and shiny toys it's impossible not to slip up occasionally. So forget those unrealistic goals and check out our guidelines to a greener life.

Follow the jump for some more lifestyle changes that will really make a difference

Related: Green goals #1-5 | Green Goals #6-10

Do you have a favourite spot on the web or high street for buying eco-friendly and ethical products?

I already have an extensive list of shops and portals dedicated to selling green goods, from food and drink to fashion and beauty products, and these will be appearing in a shiny new shopping directory later on in the week. But it won't be a complete list without your help, and I'm keen to hear about any great businesses - on or off-line - that you think I should include.

Follow the jump to see a list of categories, and please email me with your suggestions. Shops should either be based in (or offer reasonable shipping rates to) the UK.

Just a quick remnider that it's sadly time to take down all those cards that have been brightening the gloom, and send them away to the great mantelpiece in the sky. If you're unsure about how to do this in a green and responsible manner, all you need to know - from shops accepting cast-off cards to how you can help protect native forests is here. Meanwhile, all you need to know about recycling your tree can be found here.

Whether you're planning on hiring a tree, growing your own or making one out of books, a tree without lights just isn't a Christmas tree. Traditional lights guzzle a lot of electricity, but a far greener solution is to buy a set of lights made from low energy LEDs.

Will this cost you a fortune? While LED lights used to cost a bomb, the situation is changing as the technology improves.

Read on for the best deals on LED Christmas lights

Related: Oliver Heath's eco-friendly LED Christmas lights | Dreaming of a green Christmas but can't afford it?

I really am amazed and delighted at the endless stream of tip-offs I've had this week for discounts and offers on eco products - you'd think we were going through a credit crunch or something.

But being an ethical soul, I have no intention of keeping this information to myself, and am going to keep you posted on where to go for the best deals. My favourite deal this week has got to be Love Eco's £5 off anything offer, which will be a godsend for my Christmas shopping (details after the jump).

But there are plenty of other offers lurking out there, some of which might slash the cost of the very thing you were looking for. So read on to find out what's landed on my desk this week.

Related: Pick of the best eco Christmas offers #1

It's almost pay day, December is looming on the horizon, your vouchers are in and you're probably preparing to embark on a frenzied mission to (as an old friend of mine affectionately put it) go out and 'buy crap for idiots'. Now, Christmas shopping is an ordeal at the best of times, and you don't need me to remind you why it's likely to be more traumatic for many people than usual this year. But you may find that shopping with your eco hat on could make the experience a whole lot easier.

Read on for our Christmas shopping tips to find out why...

I don't own my house, but it's about this time of year I tend to start thinking about all the changes I'd make if I did. And since I'm in a constant battle with the thermostat, these are mostly focused on insulating and weatherproofing (though I'd be quite happy for some of the dodgier wallpaper to vanish overnight, too!)

So I thought I'd share some of the ideas I'd put into my dream eco home if I had one, starting with the steps I'd take to get it toasty warm in winter.

Related: Top five eco-friendly ways to keep warm in winter

This time if year can be horribly expensive, especially if you don't want to buy mass-produced tat for your friends and family at Christmas. In coming weeks, we'll be rounding up all our favourite green and ethical gifts. But before you even get started on picking out perfect presents, it's worth checking who's offering discounts on their green goodies. I've just done that very thing, and have come back with some tips on where to point your mouse for the best festive eco offers -- some exclusive to hippyshopper readers. So pull yourself up a chair, get out the mulled wine and get shopping!

• Hippyshopper reader offer at Peruvian Knitwear

If you're planning to buy stylish winter warmers this Christmas, choosing alpaca yarn will make your gifts really stand out from the rest. Peruvian knitwear is a fabulously ethical new label selling luxury knitwear and homewear, all sourced from Peru, where owner Amanda make regular appearances. Peruvian Knitwear have a great offer exclusive to hippyshopper readers, giving you 10% off all products. Check out super soft long mittens (pictured) and jolly alpaca cushion covers for ideal gifts. Just enter HIPPYNOV2008 at the checkout to claim your discount.

• 20% discount at Equa

Equa is one of the most stylish eco-boutiques out there, so if you're looking to buy clothes and accessories, you might want to take advantage of a 20% offer that Green My Style have let me in on. Click here for details.

Read on for more fantastic offers

Buying new furniture is not a fun experience. You can either go down the IKEA route; herded through a vast warehouse full of people and myriad identikit shelves, cupboards and tables, or seek out more unusual pieces, navigating between the fiendishly expensive and the decidedly naff.

If you've got pots of money, it's a different story, of course. But these days that's unlikely to be the case, and the green and thrifty world of repurposing starts to look very attractive. You could buy ready-repurposed furniture from Baileys, whose range is well worth checking out. But for inspiration, follow the jump for some creative ways that internet dwellers have spruced up old junk to make unique and useful furniture.

Related: Hippyshopper guide to the repurposed home: lighting