It's Not Easy Being Green

In British docuseries IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN, engineer Dick Strawbridge, his wife Brigit, son James, and daughter Charlotte leave their comfortable home in the suburbs and move into a 300-year-old farmhouse in Cornwall with plans to be self-sustaining and live without using fossil fuels. From growing vegetables and raising pigs to building an aqueduct to generate electricity from an old waterwheel, the family strives to produce as little negative environmental impact as possible while still enjoying a modern lifestyle. They soon discover that living green isn't always easy, especially when many of their eco-friendly projects don't go according to plan. But despite some unexpected, frustrating, and sometimes expensive setbacks, they keep striving to find alternatives for reducing their impact on the planet.

The show offers some interesting insight on the ways that an old house can be become environmentally friendly and showcases some of the "do-it-yourself" projects that can be done to make it so. Dick Strawbridge's easy-to-follow explanations (often accompanied by graphics) about his sustainability projects are also informative. But when Dick's best-laid plans go awry, there are some mildly tense moments -- particularly when Brigit is unimpressed with his strategies and/or green devices. Meanwhile, both Charlotte and James -- who are both university students -- are supportive of their parents' mission and pitch in on many endeavors. (It's a nice change to see people cooperating on a reality show instead of bickering all the time!)

It's Not Easy Being Green demonstrates how complicated living a completely eco-friendly lifestyle can be in a modern world. It stresses the idea that you must be willing to do additional -- and often hard -- work to be self-sufficient. Many of the DIY projects can't be done without the help of professionals, and they're often costly, too. But to the Strawbridges, these inconveniences are minor and well worth the trouble if they helps the planet. These positive messages make the series worth watching. While young kids may not find the series particularly exciting, older tweens, teens, and adults may well be inspired to try a little harder to go green.

TV Rating: TV-PG
Cast: Brigit Strawbridge, Dick Strawbridge, James Strawbridge
Genre: Reality TV