This interview appeared in the Holiday 2009 Issue of A Distinctive Style Magazine. Written By: Surinder Moore. Visit the publication at: A Distinctive Style Holiday 2009
Award-winning actor Ed Begley, Jr. is playing a new role these days… Environmental Activist! Last month we had a chance to link up with Ed and talk about his successful new TV show ” Living with Ed” and how he is taking action for a greener, healthier planet!
ADS: So we understand you have an electric car. How is that working out for you?
Ed: I have been driving electric cars since 1970. They all work exactly the same way – electricity is stored in a set of batteries mounted on the car. The electricity from the batteries turns an electric motor that turns the drive shaft.
My current electric vehicles include my 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV (you can see me picking it up at (www.electrifyingtimes.com/rav4evetic.html) and my new 2008 Phoenix Motorcars SUT (www.phoenixmotorcars.com), made right here in Southern California. The Toyota has a range of about 80 miles, while the Phoenix has a range of about 130 miles.
ADS: How often do you need to re-charge these cars?
Ed: I charge them at night in my garage on the solar power I make on the roof of my house. It’s a very clean way to travel.
ADS: Your home is equipped with solar energy. Does it work well for you?
Ed: It works amazingly well. I first installed it in 1990, and with a few upgrades and repairs since then, the system continues to work beautifully. At this point in time, given all the efficiencies and upgrades I’ve done to my home as far as insulation and such, the solar is providing almost 100% of my power needs. I’m using almost no grid power at all now, even with a family of three, two on-site businesses and two electric cars.
ADS: What are the savings each month in terms of utility costs by using solar energy to power your home?
Ed: If I didn’t have solar, I would probably be using $300 to $500 a month in electricity. And I live in a small home. The savings can be even greater depending on your home size, level of home efficiency, and geographic capability to make solar power. The key is to first conserve and make your home as efficient as possible. Then, when you do get solar power, you don’t need as large a system to provide your power needs. Conservation should always be first before production. A kilowatt saved is much cheaper than a kilowatt produced. That’s what I did, and now it’s really paying off.
ADS: You also have a line of environmentally friendly household products called Begley’s Best. What ingredients do these products contain?
Ed: Begley’s Best cleaners are all natural, non-toxic and totally biodegradable. They are made from extracts of pine, de-acidified citrus, maize, fermented sugar cane roots and olive seeds.
ADS: How do Begley’s Best products stand up to regular household brands in terms of effectiveness?
Ed: With the exception of some really nasty clean ups, Begley’s Best can handle almost every household cleaning chore quite well. For tile, showers, porcelain, counter top, cupboards, linoleum, plastic, wood, leather, stainless steel, aluminum, chrome and colorfast fabrics, it works great. You can use the concentrate for laundry, and the spot remover for carpet and upholstery clean up. Overall, I’ve been very pleased with how well it works.
ADS: Where can we buy Begley’s Best Products?
Ed: You can buy it at Whole Foods Market, many fine independent stores, and also online at www.begleysbest.com.
ADS: You have also talked about cutting back on eating meat. How does that help the environment?
Ed: It’s been widely publicized over the last several years how much additional energy, water and other resources it takes to raise livestock on a parcel of land as opposed to growing fruits or vegetables on that same land. By using our resources to grow fruits and vegetables, we can save a lot of energy and water. There are, of course, other health benefits to eating less meat, which I subscribe to.
ADS: What small changes can each of us make in our homes and in our lifestyles to reduce the harmful impact to our planet?
Ed: There are so many. Get out of your car – a day or two a week or month – walk, ride a bike, take public transportation if it’s available near you. That is a huge thing we can all do. Change out your lighting from regular incandescent bulbs to CFL or LED. Weather-strip your windows and doors and add additional insulation to make your house more energy efficient; use Energy Star appliances; and unplug electronics when not in use to save on phantom power. Get a programmable thermostat and use it, recycle and buy recycled products. Compost and do some home gardening, or get involved with a community garden or support your local farmers market. Use water saving shower heads and faucet’s and run full loads of dishes and laundry. These are all cheap and easy things that everyone can do to make a difference right away.
ADS: Can you tell us about your successful TV show “Living with Ed”? What is it about?
Ed: Living With Ed is sort of a window into my life and how my wife and I compromise on things. I think that people have responded to it because we’re not preaching or trying to force things on people. The viewer gets to watch what I do and how my wife reacts to it and get a good laugh off of our quirky lifestyle. If people are learning stuff from it, then that’s a bonus. It’s sort of a “Green Acres” for the new millennium. I’ve enjoyed doing it and look forward to doing some more. We have lots of projects planned around the house for later this year, so I hope we can film them – there’s sure to be some disagreements on how things get done – it should be funny!
ADS: What’s next for “Living with Ed?”
Ed: Well, if the network wants to do some more, we’ll get to see a house remodel that we’re working on. It will include some room additions and a rainwater / greywater recycling system. We’re also going to do a bit of traveling to various places, which is always a compromise.
To check out more about Ed and for a program schedule for the Living with Ed show, visit www.livingwithed.net.
