How It All Began

Following the airing of the BBC2 programme It’s Not Easy Being Green, my family and I received thousands of emails from people saying they desperately wanted to live more sustainable lifestyles but didn't think they could make many changes because they were on low incomes, lived in flats or rented accommodation or didn't have access to land for growing their own vegetables.

Having met many inspiring people over the last few years who combine living on very limited budgets with low impact lifestyles, I have come to see that if people only knew how easy it was to make a few changes…whatever their circumstances…they might just give it a go.

There is, of course, a huge amount of information on the Internet and in the press about sustainable living. However, as I myself find it quite difficult to sift through and read everything out there, I wanted to find a more solid, tangible way to help people that did not rely solely on a person's computer literacy or Internet access. 

I knew I really wanted to help get the message that ‘being green is not difficult’ out to individuals across the UK and last year I came up with the idea of putting suggestions, advice and sustainable technology all together on a double-decker bus and taking it out to communities, schools, businesses and local authorities.

Thanks to the support and enthusiasm of a lot of wonderful people, and in particular the forum members of a very special Internet community, ‘The Big Green Idea’ charity is now a reality.

The forum members on the It’s Not Easy Being Green website were brought together by their common desire to exchange information and knowledge about all aspects of sustainable living. The ideas, support and advice that they have shared to date have already helped huge numbers of individuals to embark on more sustainable lifestyles, and it is my firm belief that our Big Green Bus tour will open the door to even more people.