The festive season is a time for family, friends and food. But Christmas is also a time of extreme consumerism, and has become a major drain on resources. Tamsin Walker tried to turn her Christmas green - and discovered that there's a whole lot more to it than the color of the tree.

What if cutting down your Christmas tree were good for biodiversity? Grown without fertilizers or pesticides, we visited a German project offering an eco-friendly alternative to the mass-produced trees we're used to from plantations.

Germany is famous for its Christmas markets, with their coziness, glitz and seasonal treats. But is there a more eco-conscious alternative to such consumer indulgence? We perused the fair trade, locally-sourced and upcycled fare on offer at a sustainable Christmas market in Cologne.

The Christmas tree is the centerpiece of most households this time of year. But what's more environmentally friendly: a reusable plastic tree or a conifer grown for the purpose?

The Riachuelo/Matanza River runs through Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires. And it's one of the most polluted city rivers in the world. Back in 2008, the country's Supreme Court ordered the authorities to clean up their act - and the river. Eight years on, they've asked for a progress report. As far as the environment lobby is concerned, the Riachuelo still has a long way to go.

Much of the salmon on our tables this festive season could come from Norway - or Scotland. But chances are it won't be wild, but farmed. Is this a sustainable way to keep us supplied with healthy fish? Critics aren't so sure. "Living Planet" pays a visit to Scotland to hear both sides of the story. Gudrun Heise presents this report by Gabor Paal.

Sea turtles have a hard fight for survival, migrating thousands of miles and trying to keep out of the way of boat traffic, fishermen and plastic waste. Some don't make it. Others are lucky - if, for instance, they're injured off the coast of Greece and rescued by dedicated volunteers working for Archelon and the turtle sanctuary at Glyfada. Samantha Early presented this report by Thomas Bormann.

The future of Morocco's bees looks grim. Climate change is killing the flowers they feed on - and pesticides are dealing another blow to their colonies. That's why Morocco’s first independent beekeeping association has decided to do something about it.

A court in France is set to rule on whether 20 frogs in the Dordogne region should have their pond filled in. The pond-owners hope the court will overturn the judgment of the regional appeal court, which followed a complaint from their neighbor that the frogs mate too loudly. The case highlights a common clash that occurs when city folk move to the countryside in search of a quiet life.

The small fishing town of Gansbaai draws thousands of tourists every year. Famous for its white sandy beaches and abundance of marine life, the star of the show is the great white shark, which has earning Gansbaai the title as South Africa’s "shark capital." However, new research suggests this abundance could soon come to an end.