Hope y'all have pardoned me the flights of whimsy over the last few days. There are times when doom and gloom must take a momentary backseat to creativity and my metaphysical pursuits. But today, I'm back in my eco-saddle and want to introduce American actor/eco-activist Ed Begley Jr., who has been an enthusiastic proponent of a green lifestyle since the '70s - which is some feat considering he was, and is still living in, not-always-environmentally-conscious Los Angeles (a shout out here to Baskingshark since the City of Angels is his favourite place to be).DIGRESSION: As an aspiring film director myself, Hollywood film production - of which L.A. is the heart - is incredibly, incredibly environmentally unfriendly a process, given the need to make expensive projects made in as little time as possible. When I was studying at Columbia's graduate film programme in NYC, one of the things said early on in a producing class that has always stayed with me is that the three key factors in filmmaking are speed of production, keeping costs low, and scope of production (production value). You can have any two, but not all three. Usually, Hollywood features are willing to boost speed of shooting (to capture those key Box Office niches and release slots) and production value, at the (literal) expense of budget. Alas, the money funnelled into such productions goes into making the picture pretty not environmentally friendly. I shudder to think at the sheer VOLUME of bottled water feature film crews go through (and then toss away) with every project.
But to get back to my original topic, one of my fave faith-based sites, beliefnet.com has an interview with Begley Jr. and his green ways, which also, interestingly enough, allows insight into his more spiritual views of living lightly on the planet, too.
Here are the first few paragraphs:
"Maybe you remember him from the 80's TV show St. Elsewhere, but chances are Ed Begley Jr.'s floppy California charm has infiltrated your consciousness as "that environmentalist actor guy." He's no greeny-come-lately. Begley started driving an electric car in the 1970s and was using solar power long before it was vaguely chic, much less tax deductible.
"Now he's espousing the green way through a reality show on HGTV, "Living with Ed." In its second season, it follows his struggles with his less stringently eco wife Rachelle over things like a gigantic red rain barrel. He puts up solar Christmas lights, "audits" his celebrity friends' homes for their green factor, and rides a bike to power his toaster. And now he's spreading the message further with a book out in February 2008, "Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life."
"Begley recently chatted with Beliefnet from his Los Angeles home about the importance of silence, not rushing into tranquility, and how we can all be gentler on the earth without roughing up our wallets."
You can read the rest of the fascinating interview: here.
While we're on the subject of green living, I have been looking around at new green sites to add my (ever-growing) list of worthy links, and I came upon this one
To whit, a site focusing on the environment of Cyprus and beyond - very exciting to stumble on for an oft-frustrated inhabitant of this beautiful island, whose natural resources are taken for granted by most of us who live here.
The link above takes you to, "The 10 Environmental Commandments", which site author Brian Ellis introduces in the following way:
"These 10 Commandments are tips to save you money, as well as to help protect the environment. Each Cypriot, man woman and child, produces on an average over 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels each year. This is the main greenhouse gas, responsible for climate change or global warming. This is about 40 to 50 per cent more than many western European countries and is a blot on our nation’s escutcheon. By following these ten simple commandments, we can make a significant dent in this hefty amount of pollution. At the same time, our air would be healthier to breathe and, above all, we can save a lot of money, both individually and collectively."
But to get back to my original topic, one of my fave faith-based sites, beliefnet.com has an interview with Begley Jr. and his green ways, which also, interestingly enough, allows insight into his more spiritual views of living lightly on the planet, too.
Here are the first few paragraphs:
"Maybe you remember him from the 80's TV show St. Elsewhere, but chances are Ed Begley Jr.'s floppy California charm has infiltrated your consciousness as "that environmentalist actor guy." He's no greeny-come-lately. Begley started driving an electric car in the 1970s and was using solar power long before it was vaguely chic, much less tax deductible.
"Now he's espousing the green way through a reality show on HGTV, "Living with Ed." In its second season, it follows his struggles with his less stringently eco wife Rachelle over things like a gigantic red rain barrel. He puts up solar Christmas lights, "audits" his celebrity friends' homes for their green factor, and rides a bike to power his toaster. And now he's spreading the message further with a book out in February 2008, "Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life."
"Begley recently chatted with Beliefnet from his Los Angeles home about the importance of silence, not rushing into tranquility, and how we can all be gentler on the earth without roughing up our wallets."
You can read the rest of the fascinating interview: here.
While we're on the subject of green living, I have been looking around at new green sites to add my (ever-growing) list of worthy links, and I came upon this one
To whit, a site focusing on the environment of Cyprus and beyond - very exciting to stumble on for an oft-frustrated inhabitant of this beautiful island, whose natural resources are taken for granted by most of us who live here.
The link above takes you to, "The 10 Environmental Commandments", which site author Brian Ellis introduces in the following way:
"These 10 Commandments are tips to save you money, as well as to help protect the environment. Each Cypriot, man woman and child, produces on an average over 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels each year. This is the main greenhouse gas, responsible for climate change or global warming. This is about 40 to 50 per cent more than many western European countries and is a blot on our nation’s escutcheon. By following these ten simple commandments, we can make a significant dent in this hefty amount of pollution. At the same time, our air would be healthier to breathe and, above all, we can save a lot of money, both individually and collectively."
Needless to say, I'll be returning to the "Cyprus: The Environment" site frequently to check for updates on eco-happenings round the island.
