Yo, ho,ho. No, I'm not a sick pirate Santa suggested by the title. I won't be sticking a bird over some hot coals. I'm asking you to join me in raising a glass to the amazing and irreplaceable nature that makes these fair isles the green and pleasant place they are.
I'm not much of a whisky drinker. In fact I don't really like whisky, but I'll be buying a couple of bottles to give as presents this year because it will help conservation. Cash from sales of Black Grouse whisky will help save threatened black grouse. I like wine. So I'll be trying to find bottles with real corks rather than plastic ones. That means I can help save our national bird, the robin. European cork forests have traditionally supported a whole range of wildlife, including migrating robins. Sadly the move towards plastic corks has resulted in many ancient forests going un-managed or lost as other forms of agriculture, such as bio-fuels, take precedence. Once again, human progress has an unforeseen natural impact.
This year it's easy to be green. In fact, being a conservationist makes more economic sense than it ever has done before. Buying and fitting low energy lightbulbs and insulation has always made long-term financial sense. These days it's an economic and environmental necessity. What you buy and how you buy it makes a huge difference. In fact, you can even help raise money for our work when searching for goods, information or services online by simply using the Everyclick.com search engine.
Charities have faced a tough time so we've been driven to find ever more creative ways to raise money for our conservation work. The RSPB is a big charity, we keep the bare minimum required by law and the rest of the money we raise goes straight back out to save birds, other wildlife and special places.
Who'd have thought that recycling an old mobile phone, inkjet cartridge or stamps could do so much to save our natural heritage? It makes great environmental sense too so we double the effectiveness of our work by supporting such schemes. It's simple maths; less environmental damage through recycling, equals lower investment required to repair said damage!
Shopping has never been so complex. So, as you search the shelves for Christmas presents and treats, do check the labels, consider the amount of packaging, think about air-miles and the carbon footprint of the products you buy and please, do try to buy something that helps our wildlife.