Book info

• Title It's Not Easy Being Green
• Author Dick Strawbridge
• Year 2006
• Genre Non-fiction

It's Not Easy Being Green follows Dick Strawbridge and his family as they leave their comfortable home in the Midlands to tackle a remarkable self-sufficiency project - New House Farm in Cornwall. Their main objective is to have as little negative impact on the planet as possible by producing no waste and removing their dependency upon fossil fuels - all without compromising on their comfortable, modern 21st-century lifestyles. It's a laudable aim, but they are definitely not eco-warriors!

Thoughts

I remember watching the TV show that this book is tied-in with when it was on oh-so-long ago, but I’m not sure if I ever read the book. I saw a newer book by Dick Strawbridge that led me back to this one, and I thought it would be interesting to have a quick dive in. It brought back some memories but what was fascinating to see was how much has changed and how much hasn’t. There are areas that the Strawbridges focus on that are still a problem today, but also areas that we have actually managed to make progress on - plastic bags, etc.

There was quite a lot of practical information and useful links (for the time, at least) but I enjoyed the passages about the whys and wherefores, the morals and decisions behind each step.

Rating: 3 / 5