Would you be able to go 'green' for seven days? Noreen Barr tried it out during Organic Week.

NOT so long ago, eating organic food and living the good, recycling life was the preserve of sandal-wearing hippies.

But now ethical living has gone mainstream, with more people doing their bit to save the planet. And with last week's being Organic Week, now is a perfect time to go green.

So just how easy is it for an ordinary family to live ethically? As a frazzled working mum, with a one-year-old baby, I decided to find out in a week-long trial.

All our food would be organic, the 'skull and crossbones' cleaning chemicals were hidden away and the giant supermarket so conveniently nearby would be shunned.

The prospect of living the 'good' life was anything but good.

DAY 1 - SATURDAY

I ordered cloth nappies in advance over the internet from The Nappy Lady site (www.thenappylady.co.uk) and baby Ralph is happily piling them up into a bonfire-like heap. I wonder frustratedly if it would be ethical to set the whole lot on fire.

There is a bewilderment of waterproof bits, lining pieces and booster things to puzzle over. Yes, modern reusable nappies fasten with velcro and there's no need for any folding but all the extra bits are confusing. Worse, when I finally get a nappy on, it's so bulky that Ralph's vest won't button up.

Plus, these reusables cost £157 for a whole nappies 'system' (compared to about £7 a week for supermarket own-brand disposables).

Luckily, I have a green mummy friend who shows me the ropes. Changing them isn't totally gruesome.

DAY 2 - SUNDAY

I stocked up on organic food yesterday by trudging to the local shop and hauling home as much veg, fruit, beans, grains and dairy products as I could carry. It would have taken five minutes to whizz home by car - by the time I'd finished my half-hour walk my arms and back ached.

Still the effort seems worth it as Ralph tucks into his organic Weetabix (which comes in a reassuringly familiar yellow box) and organic whole milk (55p a litre instead of 49p for the normal stuff). Organic whole milk contains higher levels of vitamins A & E and healthy fatty acids, I've read, and I'm smugly thinking that the baby will flourish this week. Until I turn my back and he throws his food on to the floor.

DAY 3 - MONDAY

Return home from work to relieve my husband who has been acting as childminder for the day, and am greeted by a scene of devastation.

The house (particularly the organic-food-smeared kitchen floor) is grotty. Cloth nappies are drying on every available radiator. The dreaded ethical housework, using a minimum of chemicals, can no longer be avoided.

I use my emergency Ecover 'ecological' all purpose cleaner £2.19 for 500ml in the local ethical shop, (compared with £1.23 for 500ml Flash spray). It's just like using a normal cleaner. Hurrah!

DAY 4 - TUESDAY

Off to a friend's house for lunch. Thankfully she lives just around the corner so my carless state doesn't matter. I take along a bottle of Sicilian organic wine.

We have cod for lunch, which I usually love, but now my head is full of warnings about depleted cod stocks.

I say nothing and eat (guiltily).

DAY 5 - WEDNESDAY

Food supplies are running low. Walking to the local organic place during its 9am-5pm opening hours isn't practical on work days. My husband, who is slightly cynical about the whole exercise, points out that supermarkets sell organic food too and no one would know if he used the car.

I'm tempted. But in the nick of time the £17 organic veg box I'd ordered over the internet arrives. It's brimming with oranges, locally grown apples, greengages and even a weird squash thing.

DAY 6 - THURSDAY

Until today the recycling part of the experiment has been going well. The once-neglected recycling box supplied by the local council is brimming with glass, cans, paper and cardboard. My bin bag is still only half full, compared to my bulging daily bag of old and that is strangely satisfying.

DAY 7 - FRIDAY

The end of ethical week and - despite the setbacks - I've survived. I plan to keep on my organic box, complete with its exciting new vegetables, as I like it delivered.

But I'm far too lazy to keep washing cloth nappies - perhaps I'll recycle them by giving them away. And I can't wait to get into my car and zip to the supermarket.