Your ethical Gift List

Do you feel guilty about ordering newly manufactured goods; embodying harmful chemicals, imported carbon miles? Do you cherish the unique and unusual? Do you have enough room for all this new stuff?!

If, like us, you do need some things for the home, but want to source them ethically, there are a number of options.

The Natural Collection operate a efficient and friendly wedding list service offering fair-trade and eco-friendly products for the home and garden, including patchwork quilts from Jaipur, hand-woven rugs, non-stick pans without the yucky chemicals (which also negate the need for oil), wooden bird boxes, ladybird attracters and solar-powered garden lights. (In fact, we liked the Natural Collection so much that we've opted to use their Gift List ourselves!)

For a specifically organic green list try Green Fibres: Eco Goods & Garments; and for fair trade check out the Ganesha Fair Trade Shop. We've also just come across: Our Green Wedding List and Nearly Married.

Are you saving the planet and buildng your own eco-home; or helping to save UK heritage (and all the energy embodied in new build), by renovating a historic building? The Centre for Alternative Technology offers a wedding list service - from sheep's wool insulation, to natural cotton duvets, to chemical-free paint - this may be the answer for you. Handmade hammocks (fairtrade, using organic cotton) also make great wedding presents! Or what about contacting a garden centre and stocking up on the green stuff? National Garden Centre vouchers are perfect for those with a green space to fill.

Making your Honeymoon happen...

The honeymoon is your reward for all your hard work - skip it at your peril!! Clearly honeymooning at home (ie: in the UK) is a good idea; but if you fancy a bit of romance, why not take the good old fashioned train? The channel tunnel makes train travel throughout Europe so exciting. We spent one night in Paris and then got the train to Venice, ok its a little longer than flying, but travelling through the alps in an empty train was unbeatable - we felt less like tourists and totally empowered to do it again!!. And we had a warm green glow around us the whole way. We booked our trains through RailEurope; very helpful if you have problems negotiating websites in a foreign language.

What about setting up a smaller gift list, focusing on the items you really need (or no list at all) and then asking your guests to contribute to your honeymoon? Your friends and family will love the idea they can buy you a splendid meal in a Parisian bistro, a light lunch in St Mark's Square. We spent our funds (many of which were very helpfully given in Euros) sensibly on gondolas, ice-cream, lattes and Italian leather bags..... Hey - and remember to travel responsibly - holiday at home; or see the rest of Europe by train or even bike.

Or how about asking for vouchers to stay in a Landmark Trust property?

Organic Places to Stay is lists venues worldwide.

For advice and articles try http://www.ecoholidaying.co.uk/

If you already have lots of money and stuff; why order more?

Ask you guests if they would like to contribute to your chosen good cause instead of buying you a traditional gift. There are lots of interesting options, from individual charities (such as the Friends of Friendless Churches), to wedding gift list giving providers (see below):-

Overseas. Why not take the opportunity to buy a whole herd of goats for a village in the developing world? The Good Gifts catalogue (brainchild of the Charities Advisory Trust) offer an alternative Wedding List - including "clearing 27sqm of mine-field (£37)" and "setting up a co-operative (£250)". World Vision are a Christian charity offering a similar service.

U.K. Do you want to make a difference to your local environment? What about helping a nearby Building Preservation Trust to save a historic building that has a special meaning to you? Or you could support the UK historic building conservation movement by donating gift money to one of these charities. Have you considered using gifts to endow woodland, or support a local environmental charity? With the Carbon Neutral Company your guests can even "dedicate trees in MarryMe Wood" (and other places)!

There is an incredibly wide range of UK charities and not-for-profit enterprises that need your support - from Butterfly Conservation to Friendless Churches to The Art Fund. Check out the Charity Commission website which enables you to search by key word

OR you can now set up a list with the wonderful new Alternative Wedding List.

And finally, don't forget to bank and invest all that money ethically!