Supporter of the week: Dave Dayes

Hannah Booth

14 July 2011

To celebrate Friends of the Earth's 40th anniversary, I've been talking to some of the supporters who've made it all possible. Tropical Fruit Trader Dave Dayes (right) is not only living the green lifestyle - but building it.

"Back in the 1980s I built my own house, long before this sort of thing was fashionable," says Dave.

"It made me think long and hard about how to reduce my environmental impact."

Now I've got a ground source heat pump which means I warm my home using heat from the ground.

"And I have solar panels to give me free electricity from the sun."

"I'm annoyed that I did all this before there were big grants available and I can't earn the sort of money from my panels that other people can if they put them in now."

"But I enjoy promoting the benefits of renewable electricity and have done this a few times through Friends of the Earth."

Next week: Tom Lloyd-Smith. To see all the supporters I've interviewed, visit our 40th anniversary gallery.

Hannah Booth also writes Lives Less Ordinary.

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