BBC2 20:30 Today It's Not Easy Being Green

[bilko]

20:30 Today
BBC2
It's Not Easy Being Green
Documentary series about a family's attempts to go green. The Strawbridge family take on a 300-year-old farmhouse in Cornwall with three acres of land, a leaky roof and no home comforts. Their aim is to live a 21st-century lifestyle and be self-sufficient in energy and food. Dick and Brigit take advice on how to heat their ramshackle, damp farmhouse as winter approaches and Dick reluctantly decides it's time to give up his gas-guzzling motor and turn chip fat into bio-diesel

Might be worth a look

 

[bilko]

Yep, quite impressed with that.
Admitadly they spent a whole lot of money with no explanation of where it came from and seem to be very handy with DIY etc but i think the guy is excellent. he's very upbeat, a bit like johnny ball with a huge moustache. His wife is lovely to put it simply.
Think i'll be a regular viewer.
Did anyone else watch it?

 

[gregorach]

Been watching it for the last few weeks... They have spent a lot of money, haven't they? Still, they seem to be having fun, which is a good thing to see - all to often "green" is presented as some kind of hairshirt-and-ashes thing.

 

[jdlenton]

I've been watching this series with great interest I've always looked out for programs with Dick Strawbridge in them ever since he won either the first or second series of scrap heap challenge
hes a great TV present and seems to have fun with everything he does I'd love to have a pint and good chin wag with him. His family seem cool too him and his wife seem to be complete oposites the ex military man and the hippie easy going chick you would never put them together in a million years. They have spent a lot of Cash but hey this is telly we are talking about and once they are set up how much will they need to spend to keep them selves going?

James

 

[Ogri the trog]

I tried to post a reply yesterday but it got "Forbidden"

The program is a good one, though free flowing cash to their extent is a bit of a falsehood here. I don't doubt that they're getting back handers from the BBC or green groups to advertise this stuff.

Despite the endless cash, (I think it was mentioned in the first episode that they had £400K to spend ) it has prompted me into re-analysing what I can do to keep household costs down. But it might be that I have to invest before I can reap any reward - I just don't think that I can afford to invest in such a big way as the Sawbridge's yet.

Ogri the trog

 

[Batfink]

I'm thoroughly enjoying the show! I saw a couple of newspaper articles on Col Dick himself (below), and on looking at the website, you can see some of the ways he's funding this project! (I'm trying to get on the bio-diesel course ASAP - we're desperate to get our old diesel genny on to something a bit more sustainable!).

http://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.org/

Living the eco-life in Cornwall

The scrapheap king goes back into battle

Would love to drop everything and pursue his route - unfortunately I don't think the wife would forgive me! Shame really!!!

Oh - if anybody is interested in pursuing this lifestyle, but in a more urban environment, you might be interested in having a dig around this community site -Selfsufficent...ish (hope this is OK mods?)

 

[bilko]

Oops!, there was me thinking it was the first in the series as i missed the first 5 minutes.
Didn't realise he was a military man but i can see it now.
great replies and links btw.