Lauren Child5 May 2010
But excuse me, this is our garbage
Lauren Child - writer, illustrator and creator of Clarice Bean and Charlie and Lola - lives as green a life as she can.
She drives a small car and buys organic food. She learnt respect for the environment from her mother:
My mother would never let us drop litter... [now it] is one of my real bugbears. When I see someone dropping litter, I think: 'I just can't believe you think that's alright - it's not your road, it's everybody's.'
Eeek-O-Warrior
How does she cope with gloomy thoughts about the environment?
A while back I was having a real freak-out about everything... [to do with] the environment. Sometimes it can feel really hopeless.
I met this environmental lawyer. She said all those little things you can do are really helpful and you should do them.
Write on
Lauren tries to make a difference through her work - many of her stories have green themes.
In What planet are you from, Clarice Bean? (Orchard Books, £5.99), Clarice's teenage brother Kurt campaigns to save a local tree.
I hate litter, so I let Clarice Bean clean it up for me... children are very good at doing things about things - they're much braver than I am.
The Waste Land
In the UK, most of our litter and waste ends up in hazardous incinerators or landfill, even though it could be recycled.
Find out more about waste and what you can do to make a difference.
Friends of the Earth's waste campaign >
Subscribe to Friends of the Earth's daily tips for Green living >
