How it all Began

If you knew of practical, affordable ways to live a greener lifestyle, would you not adopt them into your everyday life? For example, would you fill the kettle only with the exact amount of water you need and no more? Would you flip your lights off at the mains before you left for holiday? Would you leave the car at home and take the train? Many people may not realize how simple it really is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, or that doing so can even save you sterling. Indeed, it's a win-win situation for both consumers and for the environment!

Danny Carnegie says that for the longest time he was intimidated by the terminology and jargon associated with the green movement. Phrases such as "carbon footprint" and "peak oil" meant nothing to him and made him feel as if the cause belonged to scientists and Birkenstock-wearing, granola-munching treehuggers, not to an everyday bloke like himself.

"I sometimes get the sense that a lot of these fancy terms are only being used by individuals and firms so that they can appear knowledgeable--there is a lot of showing off that goes on in the field," says Danny. "These terms scare people and until mass consumers are comfortable with these ideas and understand how green products can benefit them, we're not going to make any progress."

So Danny, a firefighter, took action. About two years ago, he cashed in his small pension and recruited his brother Jodie, who was living in Spain at the time, and began organizing a show in the U.K. that would demystify the green movement for people and introduce them to exciting green companies. Now a firefighter by night and an event planner by day, Danny, along with Jodie, who put his life in Espana on hold after ten years, manage UK Aware from their three-bed semi in far West London.

"I'm just a regular bloke who realizes that we 'normal' people/consumers are the ones who hold the key to fighting climate change," says Danny. "We need easy, green options to be as available as conventional ones. If green options were made accessible, then what sane person wouldn't choose them?"