Back at the start of our family’s sustainable living journey, Kim and I stumbled across a similar family in the UK called the Strawbridge Family.
Our Inspiration
Dick, Bridget, James, and Charlotte moved from an English suburban home to Cornwall and bought an 3 acre farm.
They transformed this small farm into a sustainable paradise after lots of work and a fair bit of capital (only because the roof leaked and the insulation was non-existent).
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Here’s the first episode of the first season of It’s Not Easy Being Green. Dick and James went on to write a book titled “Practical Self Sufficiency“, which I have a copy. This book really goes into depth about DIY projects with which you can transform your home into a more sustainable one, saving swags of money in the process.
This family’s antics and great projects inspired us to go the extra yard and grow vegetables and rip up our lawns. It was also by watching this show that Kim finally gave in to getting chickens.
Thanks a Million!
So from the bottom of my heart, and long overdue, I thank the Strawbridge family for helping to inspire us, week after week, and giving us the courage to give it a go in the first few months after my green epiphany (early 2007). It really kick started our own progress before I started writing this blog.
Good on ya Dick Strawbridge and family. Thanks a million!
Separate Ways
Update: Back in 2013, one of my readers, James, provided the following update;
I was trying to find out what happened to them the other day and to see what they are doing now, if they’re still running courses etc. It’s quite confusing.
I think Dick and Brigit split up (divorced and Dick remarried) not long after season 3 and she moved back to Malvern (where they started out from) which is when the house was put up for sale.
Brigit now appears to have moved back and is running the place as a B&B having changed its name to Bumblebee Farm.
The new website suggests that they run courses relating to beekeeping and bee management, but hard details are scant. Dick has done a fair bit of television work (Scrapheap Challenge, Beat the Ancestors and a load of “foodie” type programmes), remarried and has a young child.
I’ve no idea if he’s given up working on the “eco-house” idea around his television work or not.
James and his wife still seem to live in the area and run the Posh Pasty Co. He also does some television with Dick. Charlotte appears to be starting out as a professional photographer.
It was sad news when I first read it, but as with everything life goes on.
I really wished they continued with this programme, we need more programmes like this and some scientists. not more home design programmes.
I loved the one with the water wheel
I loved the party at the end! x
Gavin,
Thank you so much for sharing the video and about the book. I will have to see about using my local library again, I’ve been thinking of it, just haven’t gotten there yet. Perhaps they will have this book or be able to get it.
Have a good day.
Catherine
Hi Catherine. No problem. Your library should have no problems getting this book into its collection.
Gav x
I have just finished watching the 3 series after Kim mentioned them to me the other week. They are AWESOME! I have the book which a friend had showed me ages back and I’d loved it and bought it for myself for Mother’s Day. I’m working through it slowly. It’s not light reading so it’s hard to fit in the read and understand around 3 kids but I’m getting there. I reckon it’s a great book with ust enough information to help you work out if something is for you or not and in many cases they cover adequate information to build or buy your own. In other cases it’s like a great start up resource, mentioning a little about everything and it gives you the spring board of ideas to jump and start researching further. It would be a great gift for Xmas (as much as I resent Xmas and shopping) for people at the start of their green journey. Best of all most of their ideas, whether cheap or expensive are aimed with both an environmental purpose and a financial saving purpose.
I want his waterwheel too!
Hi Jessie. Glad that Kim mentioned it to you.
Gav x
The first season of INEBG has been my favorite comfort video for years. I just wish we could have seen more! Knowing how crazy hard it must have been to have cameramen underfoot all the time, I’m grateful they did it.
Hey Tpals. They made 3 seasons, but the first was definately the best because it started the whole family. The second season was just Dick and James (who Kim thinks is hot), and the third was just Dick.
I also heard that New House farm was on the market for sale, but the farm is active again with family workshops for the public.
Gav x
I was trying to find out what happened to them the other day and to see what they are doing now, if they’re still running courses etc. It’s quite confusing. I think Dick and Brigit split up not long after season 3 and she moved back to Malvern (where they started out from) which is when the house was put up for sale. Brigit now appears to have moved back and is running the place as a B&B having changed its name to Bumblebee Farm. The new website suggests that they run courses relating to beekeeping and bee management, but hard details are scant. Dick has done a fair bit of television work (Scrapheap Challenge, Beat the Ancestors and a load of “foodie” type programmes), remarried and has a young child. I’ve no idea if he’s given up working on the “eco-house” idea around his television work or not. James and his wife still seem to live in the area and run the Posh Pasty Co. He also does some television with Dick. Charlotte appears to be starting out as a professional photographer.
There’s a piece in the Sunday Times from a couple of years ago about leaving New House Farm, but I can’t read it as I don’t subscribe:
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/homes_and_gardens/Improve/ecohomes/article786796.ece
I hope that in all the upheaval since the last series they’ve not given up on the ideals that drove the original programmes. I found Dick’s attitude inspiring and my children still watch the programmes even now.
James
Hi James. Thanks so much for the update. It is difficult to find information about what happened to them all after the show.
I will share with Kim as she was interested as to whether their lifestyle was sustainable.
Cheers, Gav
It’s a tough call I think. The lifestyle may have been sustainable, but perhaps trying to earn enough from running training courses and books that relate to what they did may have been tough after the economic situation meant that people had less money to spend on what many probably see as a lifestyle choice. There’s not a huge amount of work in that area of the country that doesn’t relate to tourism, so if the need to earn money to pay the mortgage meant travelling and living away from home for extended periods of time perhaps it wasn’t sustainable practically or emotionally.
We’re in a very similar situation to how the Strawbridges were, but fortunately I’ve been able to work from home for the last ten years. The need to make sure there’s money to pay the bills and mortgage can still be quite stressful even so, and it’s hard to break out of the cycle of needing to earn money so having less time for sustainability projects which would reduce the bills so needing to spend more time earning money.
I’d not want to go back to our previous lifestyle, but as the show title says, it really isn’t easy being green 🙂
James
This family is truly inspiring by their humurous approuch.
Sadly I can’t find it anywhere.
John
Does anyone have the first series of the programme? Or know where I can find it? I never got to see it!! I’ve looked absolutely everywhere! My partner and I are moving to Devon to do the same thing and I find the Strawbridge family so inspirational. I have some of their books and I’ve seen series 2 and 3 but the main one I want to see I can’t find. I would really appreciate any help.
Hello all, you can download all the series’ of “It’s Not Easy Being Green” from mvgroup.org – you’ll have to register though but it is free.
Hi Gavin. I was looking for a cooking experience in France for next year and look what I came across!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/abroad/we-bought-a-crumbling-french-chteau—but-restoring-it-was-no-fa/