TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY LOIC VENNIN BRIT

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY LOIC VENNIN BRITAIN-LIFESTYLE-ENVIRONMENT A visitor to Raven's Ait kisses a dog in the garden area of the island near Kingston-Upon Thames, west of London, on April 24, 2009. A bucolic, sun-dappled island in the river Thames seems an unlikely setting for an environmental and lifestyle standoff -- but that's what a group of green squatters is staging. For the last two months the eco-activists have occupied Raven's Ait, a sliver of land just downriver from the world-famous royal palace at Hampton Court, west of London, resisting all efforts to remove them. "It's not hippie heaven or something," said bearded activist Rick, his purple hat topped with a jaunty white feather and T-shirt emblazoned "Eco-pirates." Despite his beatnick appearance, the 28-year-old seems more like a businessman than a green dreamer, constantly on his mobile phone and consulting his electronic diary to arrange meetings and list tasks. AFP PHOTO/Adrian Dennis (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)