it's not easy being green...heroes part 2

One thing I try not to do is get too preachy about the whole green thing. Yes, it is incredibly important, and I want to do as much as I can to help our poor little planet as I can. This involves letting people know the options available to them and the consequences of their actions, which is a difficult thing to do without getting on the soapbox, both in my personal and professional capacities.

But, occasionally, someone comes along who is so enchanting and mesmerising in their enthusiasm for a subject you cannot help but be drawn into their thought bubbles. And they never sound preachy.

And one such person is my next hero - Dick Strawbridge...

The man with the moustache and infectious humour has finally returned to our screens, with a follow on from his first two series of 'It's not easy being green'.

For those of you who are not familiar with Dick Strawbridge, he is a wonderful character who is so animated, sheer words do not do him justice. He is the sort of person who could make you interested in anything - the perfect presenter and teacher.

The previous series of 'It's not easy being green' followed the Strawbridge family and their conversion of New House farm, somewhere in the depths of Cornwall to an eco wonder, covering such subjects as compost loos, pv panels, wind turbines etc. As these things take time to sort out (and pay for - many bits of kit are not cheap), we now have the wonders of another series.

I love it. I have the first book (great - go and buy it now and digest the lot), and could watch hours of the programme without ever getting bored. In fact, you watch the programme, are entertained by the wonderful Mr Strawbridge, and learn something without even realising you are learning it. He is excitable and knowledgeable, and it's not often you watch an educational programme sniggering into your dinner. The last time I did, someone in Time Team fell into a trench.

All hail Dick Strawbridge - if we could clone him and put one in each school in the land, we would have the brightest young eco things on this planet. But I don't agree with cloning, so we'll all just have to watch him on the goggle box instead...