Welcome to my brand new green-living column!

I’m really excited about having this space to talk about all things green. I’ve always had an interest in natural materials, eco-friendly products and a desire to do my bit for the environment.

I guess you could translate that into being “a bit of a hippy” - as my mother likes to refer to me when I talk to her about my latest upcycling projects.

Through this column I will share with you tips on how to make small changes in your day-to-day life to make your lifestyle a little bit more sustainable.

We have come a really long way as a society in the last few years, but there is always room for improvement, right?

And if you’re one for new year resolutions, why not make living a little greener one of them?

There is a misconception that if you want to lead a sustainable lifestyle you have to follow strict rules and possibly dress yourself in old, repurposed curtains. Well, let me make this clear right now: this space is not intended as a rulebook and neither is a medium for me to tell you how much better I am at recycling than you.

A little is better than nothing and ultimately it’s much easier and less off-putting to introduce changes gradually than go too big too soon and feel overwhelmed.

It makes me cringe when I read on blogs or Facebook pages about the environment, users starting a sentence with the words: “You are not allowed to.”

There will be none of that here, instead I’ll be sharing with you recipes to make eco-friendly beauty products, natural household products, upcycling projects and news about the environment.

And just so it’s not all about me (although, I do like attention), I’d encourage you to email me your projects and ideas at federica.bedendo@newsquest.co.uk so I can try them out and share the results.

Unfortunately recycling alone is not enough to improve our environment so it is important that we start thinking of ways to reduce the amount of waste we produce as well as making sure our waste is disposed of correctly.

For example, with Christmas just around the corner, there are a few things you can easily do to reduce your impact on the environment. (See box on the right). Merry Christmas and a happy new greener year.