He's a famous Hollywood star, but a real down to Earth guy-so down to Earth that he is devoting his life to saving the one planet we call home. Begley appeared in Annapolis recently as a guest of the Historic Annapolis Fdn. and I was fortunate enough to interview him before his lecture to a packed audience at the Westin.
His philosophy is "live simply so that others may simply live" although I've heard that quote long before I heard of Ed Begley. Regardless of who said it first, it is the credo by which he lives and his mission is to turn us all on to the benefits and joys of living the most environmentally sustainable or "greenest" lifestyle possible. The tall, thin and healthy-looking man in a black sports suit and white sneakers was instantly likable. My first question was what he thought of the concept that being "green" was easy and a matter of simply making different consumer choices. The actor laughed at the idea but made it clear that there are many easy and important things we all can do to lessen our impact on the planet's resources but ultimately, big changes are what is necessary.
He recounted how Texas essayist and activist Jim Hightower says, "There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead Armadillos"
Begley said he became an environmentalist at the first Earth Day in California in 1970, and even there, many things we accept today were considered "nutty." Today Begley says he is 98% vegan, which means no animals in his diet--except for an occasional salmon--wild caught of course.
Begley believes that people from what he calls "both sides of the aisle" are embracing an environmental ethic, mentioning reducing dependence on Mideast oil as well as the impact on climate change. "People really want to do something" he told me. He likes to start people off slowly, giving them some simple ideas and suggestions and then when they see how much money they can save by being "green", they are easier to convince of the bigger things.
Begley is hot on weatherization or improving energy conservation in building is perhaps the most effective way to be "green'. "The cheapest barrel of oil is the one not used" he told me.
I asked Begley how he countered the most zealous global warming skeptics and critics of Al Gore. "Let's agree to disagree that man has any impact on the weather," he said. "But look at Kilimanjaro, Glacier National Park, or glaciers in Alaska. How can you argue with those photos? Why would you put a patient with a fever in a sauna?"
Even if one does not believe that humans are warming the planet, Begley reminds people that "Lessening our dependence on oil, cleaning our air all puts money in our pockets. Who would be against that?"
Be sure to check out HAF's Green Building Tour on Saturday, April 25 from noon to six pm. For information and tickets, visit www.annapolis.org.
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2 Comments:
Being vegan covers a LOT more than diet.
Vegetarian concerns diet. Vegan concerns a way of life. Vastly different concepts. Which is he?
Mr Donaldson:
Thank you for your comment. I am very familiar with the two concepts. I had maybe ten minutes to interview Mr. Begley during which time we were interrupted twice. I did not go into that much detail in my short article. There may be more about him on the web or in the books he had published and videos he has produced. Perhaps you can find your answer there.
If you are local and would like to write about vegetarianism or veganism locally, please let me know.
Paul Foer
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