The subtitle of this book is ‘How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season’. The advice in the book is laughable – the publishers would have been far more eco-friendly had they not wasted paper and resources printing this book.

This might be USA green, but it is not what I call green. This advice form the book sticks in my mind – instead of having your outdoor Christmas lights blazing away for hours, just have them on for a shorter time (I guess you simply can’t give them up – that would be too much to ask). There is only one shade of green we should all be. This is not it, it is an insipid palest of green, let’s pretend we are doing our bit for the planet and pat ourselves on the back, whilst at the same time excusing ourselves for not being very green because we are American. After all you can always point to the Chinese as being worse, and they do several times. Pitiful! Being green does not mean you miss out on any of the fun. Where is Al Gore?

Urban Eco Chic by Oliver Heath, hardback published by Quadrille, price £19.99. ISBN 978-1-84400-618-2 available from www.quadrille.co.uk

The cover of this book demonstrates quintessential modern style. This book is all about how to achieve an eco-friendly home without compromising on style. Oliver Heath (I’m trying very hard not to say what a dish he is and the book is worth it for his pic in the back – did I say that?) shows you the way to reduce your carbon footprint whilst having a home that is truly stylish.

Heath bases eco style on three fundamentals – technology, nature and vintage. Pioneering technologies help us to reduce the energy we use and are combined with the use of sustainable natural materials and recycled or vintage objects. The contemporary style in this book appeals to a wide age range and the philosophy behind it is sound.

Find out about what is good and bad in your home – the potential dangers lurking in furniture and more. Find out how to create a sustainable, modern style. The book is lavishly illustrated with examples that are easy to imitate or adapt. For Heath, style with conscience is a way of life.

Urban eco chic is expressive, elegant, clean and uncluttered. Not only does it render your space easy to live in, but it also has minimum effect on the world in which we live. The message of this book is reduce, reuse and recycle. Find out how to minimise your use of precious resources such as gas, electricity and water and take a look at renewable energy resources. Learn about all the eco-friendly materials available for the home, you might be surprised by what you find. This book also looks at each room in the home, to make eco-solutions easy to find. There is a good resources section too. Invaluable for any home owner and anyone concerned with how we live and the environment.