The activation of 'wet' precipitated manganese dioxide through an environmentally benign and expeditious pathway involving the use of a specially manoeuvered domestic microwave oven and its applicability in several organic solvents for near quantitative conversion of a range of conjugated unsaturated alcohols is demonstrated. The protocol effectively replaces procedures that are strenuous, hazardous and prohibitively time consuming. Again compatibility in almost all common organic solvents offers additional advantages e.g. control over precise activation and remarkable flexibility in the choice of substrates and conditions.