It's Not Easy Being Green is a programme on BBC Two, following Lieutenant-Colonel Dick Strawbridge, his wife Brigit, son James, and daughter Charlotte as they move into New House Farm, a 300-year-old listed building in Tywardreath, Cornwall, England from Malvern, Worcestershire.
The series documents the family's attempts to convert the building and garden into a comfortable yet entirely ecologically friendly place to live. The show is perhaps unique in that the family does not want great sacrifices in achieving their goal, and Dick Strawbridge says “I don't want to wear a hemp shirt and hairy knickers, I want a 21st-century lifestyle with a coffee machine”.
In the series they receive advice from permaculture expert Patrick Whitefield and green auditor Donnachadh McCarthy. They are also helped by friends Jim Milner and Anda Phillips as well as at points a small army of friends and relatives.
A book entitled ‘It's Not Easy Being Green: One Family's Journey Towards Eco-Friendly Living’ ISBN 0-563-49346-1 by Dick Strawbridge has been released to accompany the series.
The series is currently in its second season, focusing on the Strawbridges' helping others to achieve their eco-friendly goals, rather than on their own residence.
The series takes it's title from the first line of the song "Bein' Green" (most famously associated with Kermit the Frog).
Documentary series about a family's attempts to go green. The Strawbridge family - inventor and engineer Dick, his planet-loving wife Brigit and kids James and Charlotte - take on a 300-year-old farmhouse in Cornwall with three acres of land, a leaky roof and no plumbing, electricity or home comforts in sight. Their aim is to live a 21st-century lifestyle and be self-sufficient in energy and food. Written by BBC
