A schedule to tire the hardiest commuter

She was protesting about the length of school hours and wanted to see the end of the day brought forward from 6pm to 4pm in line with other schools in the area.

It's not clear whether Caroline's direct action forced a change but the story illustrates a point.

Dr Caroline Lucas is a campaigner. She is a woman with strong beliefs and a passion for fighting against what she thinks is wrong.

She has a profound belief that she can make a difference and help change society for the better. She is bursting with ideas and energy. Every few minutes she remembers something she has to mention to me later in the interview and busily begins jotting down reminders on the back of her hand.

She was elected as MEP for the Green Party last summer and has had a frantic six months getting to grips with the job. Caroline, who owns a house at Stonefield, near Witney, hit the headlines earlier this month when she was arrested while protesting outside the Faslane Naval Base, near Garelochead, western Scotland, to try to stop work at the base.

The protest had been organised by campaigning group Trident Ploughshares because it says nuclear weapons contravene international law. And Caroline, being the sort of politician that she is, went along to stand on the picket line.

She was arrested and carried away from the scene of the protest and then kept in a police van for about eight hours before being taken to a police station and charged with breach of the peace. As an MEP Caroline can claim Parliamentary privilege and unless that privilege is lifted she will be immune from any further legal proceedings.

"I was aware of the implications of what might happen but I want to get the issue on the agenda. To lift my privilege they will have to discuss the implications of the issue in the Parliament. That at least will get people talking about it."

The protesters claimed that the weapons were illegal because they infringed civilians' human rights. Weapons should not target civilians but the nature of nuclear weapons mean they are indiscriminate and cannot be controlled.

Caroline, aged 39, swept aside any preconceptions about members of the Green Party wearing holey jumpers and not washing their hair for a week. When I met her she was wearing a snappy grey trouser suit and wouldn't have her photograph taken until she had put her lipstick on. She looked nothing like a lentil-chomping fanatic who vows never to get into a car or carry a plastic bag.

So the million-dollar question that I had to ask was: "How green are you?"

And she was refreshingly honest. She had the grace to blush when I spotted a bottle of non-biodegradable washing-up liquid in her office and she willingly admitted to using a car or hailing a cab when she needs to.

"I'd be lying if I said I never use the car - of course I do - I've got two children and it's very useful sometimes.

"But to me being green isn't just about wearing a hair-shirt and making life as difficult as possible for yourself. Green politics are about making it easy for people to be green. "By making it easy people will change their behaviour. I think things are gradually beginning to change in this country and greens are being thought of as less cranky but there's still a long way to go.

"If I tell a taxi driver what party I represent in Belgium they are really interested - if I tell one in London they just snort."

But Caroline isn't a hypocrite and I couldn't help but liking her for the fact that she wants to play her part in changing the world around her - with as little inconvenience as possible.

Being an MEP is extremely demanding. Her schedule means that she divides her week between Brussels and England and one week in four is spent in Strasbourg. Inevitably a large chunk of time is spent travelling and Caroline is becoming increasingly interested in raising awareness about the pollution generated by the aviation industry. She chooses to take the Eurostar rather than fly out to Brussels each week because she wants to make own her personal stand.

Last year there was a massive shake-up in the way MEPs were elected in this country and Caroline is one of 11 representing the south-east region.

Caroline, who has a PhD in English Literature and Women's Studies, served as a city councillor for Oxford for a few years and worked for Oxfam, based at Summertown, as a press officer and then policy adviser for a decade.

But despite these strong links with Oxfordshire her constituency stretches from Milton Keynes to the Isle of Wight.

"I spend a lot of time travelling around the constituency because I want people to know who I am. The worst thing I can imagine happening is that at the end of my term people say: 'Who was she? We never saw her." Her constituency may cover the whole of the south-east but Oxfordshire issues are still very dear to her heart. Being an MEP is not just about getting involved in international issues.

She has spoken out against the Oxford Transport Strategy.

"They seem to have had all the pain without any of the gain. As far as I can see very little has changed. I don't feel Oxford is a pleasant and tranquil place when I walk through the city centre.

"I think we have not been ambitious enough. I believe the council bowed to pressure from the traders when they were drawing up the plans.

Caroline says she would like to see a network of trams rigged up across the city. "When I suggest trams there's a look of shock on people's faces but nobody laughs at the tram system in Brussels or Amsterdam.

"On the Continent, trams are seen as being progressive whereas if you mention them in the context of Oxford then people think you're going back in time." Caroline is also involved in a campaign to limit the installation of mobile phone masts in east Oxford and she recently visited Campsfield Immigration Detention Centre, at Kidlington, to find out more about people in Oxfordshire looking for political asylum.

MEPs are finding life tough at the moment given the image of the European Parliament which has hit rock-bottom. Caroline is aware that many people are convinced that MEPs are enjoy a gravy train lifestyle. "One of the things I am committed to is the abolition of sleaze in the European Parliament. There are people who are claiming money for expenses they have not incurred.

"Each MEP is paid the same amount as they would be paid if they served as an MP in their own country. The problem is that that varies widely across Europe with MEPs representing Portugese constituencies being paid the equivalent of £20,000 and MEPs from Italian constituencies getting up to £70,000.

"The whole parliament does have a bad reputation and that must be cleared up, otherwise our credibility is undermined." Charging around Europe putting the world to rights is tiring work and it means that Caroline rarely has time for a break.

The day I met her she had been up at 5am and was still in the office at 7.30pm, looking as fresh as a daisy. But it is clear that such a hectic schedule could take its toll on her family life. As a working mum she inevitably feels guilty that she is unable to spend as much time as she would like with her children Isaac, three, and Theo, seven.

Her face softens and her hazel eyes light up when she speaks about them and her husband Richard, 44, a teacher.

"I see very little of them because I'm so busy but the way I try to justify it is by telling myself that I am working hard to build a safer and better world for my children."

Combining the practicalities of politics with shining idealism should be the ultimate aim of all MPs and MEPs. Few manage to attain it but those who are failing should turn to Caroline for a role-model.

To contact Caroline Lucas write to : The Hop Exchange, 24 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TY. The European Parliament has 620 members. Each member sits on up to three committees responsible for different issues. The committees consider policy decisions and forthcoming legislation proposed by the European Commission. Reports are then drawn up outlining comments made by the committees and recommendations to the commission.

Caroline sits on the transport committee and the trade, industry and energy committee.

The EP works on a four-week cycle. The first three weeks are spent in Brussels and then the fourth week is spent in Strasbourg.

Spending a week each month is extremely unpopular with the MEPs because it means they and all their assistants must pack up all their documents and papers and move from their Brussels' base for a week.

It is an inconvenient and expensive procedure but the Treaties of Rome dictates that voting takes place in Strasbourg. The European Parliament has 620 members. Each member sits on up to three committees responsible for different issues. The committees consider policy decisions and forthcoming legislation proposed by the European Commission. Reports are then drawn up outlining comments made by the committees and recommendations to the commission.

Caroline sits on the transport committee and the trade, industry and energy committee.

The EP works on a four-week cycle. The first three weeks are spent in Brussels and then the fourth week is spent in Strasbourg.

Spending a week each month is extremely unpopular with the MEPs because it means they and all their assistants must pack up all their documents and papers and move from their Brussels' base for a week.

It is an inconvenient and expensive procedure but the Treaties of Rome dictates that voting takes place in Strasbourg. MEPs receive the equivalent salary paid to national MPs so Caroline receives an annual salary of £44,000. All Green MEPs donate 10 per cent of their salary to the Green Party for party funds.

In addition to the salary they are given £150 a day to cover living expenses during their time in Brussels and Strasbourg.

Travel expenses are also paid and MEPs are generally given the cost of a first class ticket for whatever journeys they make on party business.

Caroline says during the first six months of her term she was given £5,000 more than she had spent on travel because she refuses to travel first class and always books a cheaper ticket.

But she doesn't make a profit because she hands over any savings she makes to the Green Party. The four-week cycles runs like this:

Week one - committee work

Week two - committee work

Week three - political groups meet

Week four - voting in Strasbourg

Caroline, alongside most other MEPs spend Mondays to Wednesdays in Brussels, then Thursday and Fridays on constituency business.

Last year the role of the European Parliament fundamentally changed following the signing of the Amsterdam Treaty. Before the treaty, the European Parliament was seen as a toothless tiger. It had the power to comment on decisions made by the European Commission but wasn't allowed to over-rule it. Under the treaty now decisions must be made jointly by the EP and the EC.

Story date: Wednesday 01 March

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.