If you missed the design indaba expo and want to take a look at some of the great green designs and products that were on display, take a look at our flickr photoset:

Pedro Reyes
Pedro Reyes, who happens to be married to Carla, is one of the most inspiring (and prolific) designers/artists we've come across. He's initiated many cool projects, a lot of which have a social message, but the one that really got our attention was "Palas Por Pistolas", literally shovels for guns. The influx of cheap weapons from the US is a huge problem: over 2000 firearms come across the border daily. There is extreme gun availability in parts of

Design Indaba conference
Designing for social change was a theme that ran deep and featured early in this year's Design Indaba Conference. Some Sprouts attended the Young Designer's Simulcast - these were the social designers we were inspired by.

Francis Kéré
Francis Kéré, who received the first standing ovation at this year's conference, is a highly talented yet humble architect who comes from the small village of Gando in Burkina Faso (West Africa.) After being approached by the village community to save their school which was near collapse Kéré and friends founded the Schulbausteine für Gando (School bricks for Gando) association in 1999.

Pic: funny-for-funny.blogspot.comFeasting and drinking has become symbolic of family gatherings at Christmas time. Bonds with family and friends are strengthened at this time of year. Or so the story goes... the planning and cooking of the meal can often be a source of huge stress and a time of family feuds too!

This year we are aiming for casual dining at home on Christmas Eve where everyone gets involved in the preparation of the meal.

The most important element when choosing your Christmas meal is to know where your food comes from. Support local, organic food. When it comes to deciding between an imported organic item, and its local non-organic counterpart it's an individual choice - each of us needs to weigh up the health benefits versus the cost to the environment.

Boar's head or nut bake? Or something in between?

Green your gifts
Not done your Christmas shopping yet? Or want to direct some merry gift-givers to your wishlist of green Christmas goodies. In part 2 of our Green your Christmas guide we take a look at some green gift ideas for greenies with a special interest.

DIY / GIY Enthusiast
Know that someone special who likes a project? Your Green-it-yourself enthusiast will leap at the opportunity to lower their eco-footprint themselves.
Geyser blankets and pipe insulation, CFL's, LED downlighters, low-flow showerheads & tap aerators would fill the stocking of the greenie comfortable with a shifting spanner. See the eco building and homes section of our directory for more details.

Low cost option? Gift a used tyre with instructions to turn it into a mini garden pond.
High end? Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panel and batteries. Or a home-sized wind turbine.

Eco Fashionista
Hemp is still eco-chic and a more sustainable natural fibre than cotton as it requires no pesticides, herbicides and little fertiliser. Organic cotton is becoming

In 2008, scientists at the Stockholm Environment Institute reported that the carbon footprint of Christmas - including food, travel, lighting, and gifts - was 650 kg per person in England.

In 2008 consumers in the UK consumed approximately 10 million turkeys, 25 million Christmas puddings, 250 million pints of beer and 35 million bottles of wine. The UK spends £20bn on Christmas, with £1.6bn going on food and drink, of which approximately 230,000 tons of food worth about £275 million is thrown away. Let's face it, Christmas is a nightmare holiday when it comes to the environment.

Another large contributing factor to the carbon footprint of Christmas is the