Green icons: Lisa Simpson
I'm not sure if we should be amused or horrified that one of the best-known green female icons is a cartoon character, but there's no denying that Lisa Simpson is a great role model for young girls with a passion for the planet. OK, so it does get her ridiculed by her own family, bullied at school and ignored by most of her home town, but we know that Lisa's always right in the end, and if we'd just listen to her words of wisdom, everything will work out OK.
Ever since she started blowing that 'damn saxophone' Lisa has been only too aware that the unwashed masses don't always want to listen, but she doesn't let that put her off. A strict vegetarian from childhood (a woman after my own heart) and self-confessed nerd, she spends her playtime studiously reading up on how to save the planet and never tires of trying to educate her often reluctant family and peers.
In her speech, 'An Irritating Truth', it was Lise who wanted to save Springfield from imminent doom in the recent film, only to be thwarted once again by the bumbling ignorance of her own father.
But what I most like about Lisa is her vulnerable side. She's living animated proof that being a greenie doesn't mean you can't have fun (at least some of the time). A pacifist to the core, she'll cackle with the rest of them at Itchy & Scratchy, and she also has quite a weakness for Malibu Stacy dolls. And cartoon boys with appallingly embarrassing Irish accents...
