SHEHERAZADE GOLDSMITH

With approximately 75 per cent of our rubbish generated by packaging, a few simple steps - buying loose fruit and veg, choosing products with recyclable packaging, and avoiding individually wrapped portions - can have a big impact.

Gadgets - our houses are filled with them: ones we need, ones we think we need, and others that were a good idea at the time, but have never made it out of their boxes.

It's quite amazing to me, as I walk around a supermarket or a health food shop, to observe the number of Fairtrade choices: not just staples such as coffee, tea, fresh fruits and rice, but cocoa and chocolate, herbs and spices, honey, ice cream, and jams.

Open shelving may be fashionable, but a closed cabinet door is the best way to stop grease and dust collecting in the first place.

Consuming less means throwing away less, while reusing things actually helps to save the planet as well as the pennies.

Doing the eco-accessory thing doesn't have to mean giving up designer labels. In fact, quite the opposite.

Vegetable box schemes, local greengrocers, farmers' markets and organic stores are a great place to source package-free foods.

Over the years, the diamond industry has had a devastating impact in countries such as Sierra Leone, Angola and the Congo, where profits from the sale of diamonds have been used to fund brutal wars, with disastrous effects on local communities.

Pets inspire many different types of behaviour in their owners, mostly ranging from adoration to ridiculous obsessiveness, in my experience.

If you really want to help make a difference while getting a true travel experience, consider a community-run trip.

Farmers' markets are one of my favourite sources for Christmas goodies.

Little children love bright, shiny things - and in my experience, most grown-up women aren't very different!

Reducing and reusing take nothing more than a rethink on the way we shop, and using our imagination with the things that we might once have considered junk.

I want to know where my food comes from and the conditions in which it's grown. I also want to embrace traditional British produce, and seasonality.

A long, hot bath is a real treat. But from a 'green' point of view, that's probably what it should be: an occasional treat.

I'm a mother, and my life is very full.

Coral reefs represent some of the world's most spectacular beauty spots, but they are also the foundation of marine life: without them many of the sea's most exquisite species will not survive.

Despite my love affair with skyscraper heels, luckily for my feet I rarely wear them - preferring, instead, the comfort and child-handling practicalities of a pair of trainers.

The planet's environmental woes tend to be overlooked as we scramble for the latest high-tech gizmos - and conveniently ignore their energy consumption.

The flavour of something fresh out of the ground is 10 times better than something that's been flown halfway across the world.

Conservation is key to preserving many of the world's natural beauty spots, so do your best to help by keeping to designated footpaths and being a discerning souvenir collector.

When I'm in London, I get a veggie-box sent up every week, with the latest pickings.

It is possible to do many household cleaning tasks by simply using ingredients from the store cupboard, which are also safer for the environment.

Consuming less is the fastest way to eco-fashion redemption - particularly if your preference is for leather, not hemp.

Putting even one thing in your shopping basket that's locally produced or organic makes all the difference. It's a vote for the future, for animal welfare, for the environment, for your children's children.