the Strawbridge programme

[Elizabeth]

I like to think that we at 'ish will gladly take in any pale greeny and assist them to reach a darker shade

I'm not sure what shade of green I am or how much money I have compared to others. However being helped to get to a 'darker' green can be done in many ways from this website to the said programme.

If there is an innovation which helps with alternative means then great. Maybe the initial innovation is expensive but I just feel that it is another start point.

The great thing about trying to be more green and self sufficient is that it doesn't matter who you are, what your back ground is, or how much money you have got. To me it's about how much you are prepared to either change or put the effort in.

[Big Al]

I disagree... I think the crappy magazine format only serves to make us all look more wacky and elite.
I have also found many books and websites that try to sell the green lifestyle by telling you to buy organic hessian carpets at £1000 per square foot, or maybe make your own wine from all organic ingredients and store it in very fancy recycled glass clip-top bottles that are handmade in Devonshire.... I hope you get my point.... most of us either don't want or can't afford that brand of 'green' or 'organic' living.

It seems that the general public are now aware of 2 types of greeny - the beardy weirdy hippies, and the organic mung bean eating Guardian readers (those of £100,000 disposable income) How sad it is that there are few accounts of those of us somewhere in between, and I do seem to spend a fair amount of my time informing people that we are neither.... or perhaps a little of both (yes I have organic mung beans on the shelf, but sadly not the £100,000 spare cash, nor a beard )

I like to think that we at 'ish will gladly take in any pale greeny and assist them to reach a darker shade - without the pretentious, condescending tones of certain green media (TV, website, books and magazines)

The wonderful thing I have learned from ish is that being green is accesible to everyone, from every walk of life and I think of myself as a kind of ish ambassador, trying to encourage people to re-use margerine tubs, or grow some herbs. Make being green look like something simple and enjoyable, which it is

We are all ambasadors of Ish if being greener and talking to the great unwashed about green issues is all it takes to get started but sadly to be a greeny of the deepest shade you need money. If you said to someone about growing herbs in a marg tub they would probably look at you in a strange way but if it was said on this type of tv programme then it would be accepted far more in my view. That's not to say you shouldn't bother to tell people about the marg tubs but the tv prog has a wider audience. As someone who leans towards the hairy sandle wearing greenie I think the programme is unbearable trivialising crap
but I keep watching it for all the howlers they make each week.

The worst one for me was the instilation of the water tank in the eco renovated house. Here's this bloke stood in a hole about 20 ft deep and proudly telling everyone he dug the hole himself only to see there were no supports or trenching to keep the walls from crumbling in.

I compalined to the BBC about this H&S aspect but got no reply.....as yet.

[red]

The worst one for me was the instilation of the water tank in the eco renovated house. Here's this bloke stood in a hole about 20 ft deep and proudly telling everyone he dug the hole himself only to see there were no supports or trenching to keep the walls from crumbling in.

I compalined to the BBC about this H&S aspect but got no reply.....as yet.

oh yes we commented on that one.. seemed a really bad way to do things...