Ed Begley Jr. Lives Simply
So others can too

Apr 29 | archive | subscribe

 

"Live simply, so others can simply live."

That was the message actor and activist Ed Begley Jr. delivered yesterday, on the last day of PSEG's Global Green Expo at Liberty State Park, to encourage people to reduce their consumption, waste and carbon footprints.

Speaking to hundreds of eco-conscious expo attendees, Begley offered suggestions to live greener by "starting with the cheap and easy stuff." That means switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, using public transportation more often and buying weather stripping for doors and windows.

"Not everyone has to go out and buy solar panels," Begley said, who stars in his own reality HGTV show about green living. "Pick the lowest hanging fruit first."

Begley said he has made his own life greener by refusing limousine rides and installing solar-electric panels in his house. He's invested in a wind turbine to generate power, and he bought an electric car. He drives his wife's Toyota Prius hybrid to cut down on flying, even if it means traveling cross-country in the car.

But those are big-ticket lifestyle changes, and Begley said they can be long-term goals. In the meantime, people can install double-pane windows, buy products made with 100 percent recycled paper and turn off home computers when they're not in use.

"I know we can do it because we have done it," he said, ticking off examples of the green movement reducing waste and pollution.

Los Angeles, for instance, has four times the number of cars it had in 1970, yet half the smog because of the Clean Air Act.

"I learned to start small," she said. "I want to make my house greener, and my life greener.