EARTH DAY (April 22)
WITH ED BEGLEY, JR.
EARTH DAY (April 22)
WITH ED BEGLEY, JR.
The following is an interview between Carolyn Chase, from the Earth Day Network, and actor/environmentalist, Ed Begley, Jr.
CAROLYN CHASE: Ed - you are known as an environmentalist who walks his talk by the way you live your daily life and the service you provide as a citizen serving on local committees and doing volunteer work ... When did you first start volunteering for environmental causes?
ED BEGLEY, JR.: 1970, which was also the same year as the first Earth Day.
CC: Why are you an environmentalist?
EB: It feels right, and it also is entirely logical.CC: Was there any one event or incident that "made you" an environmentalist?
EB: The lunar landing, the pictures that we saw for the first time, of our beautiful, one-of-a-kind, water planet.CC: A big part of Earth Day is getting new people involved...Why should someone be an environmentalist?
EB: Because we as a species sit here today, because most people before us had a sense of living within the laws of nature.
CC: What have you done for Earth Day in the past?
EB: I don't buy gasoline. I don't use city power. I recycle, compost and grow a lot of my own food. I ride my bike, drive my electric car and take public transportation.CC: What will you be doing for Earth Day this year?
EB: Public Speaking, media events etc.CC: Why should anyone care about Earth Day?
EB: It's symbolic of how many indigenous people have been living for thousands of years and how we should be living the other 364 days of the year.CC: What do you think are the top most pressing environmental issues today? Why?
EB: Population issues, this is the big picture concern, Unpolluted water, we need it several times per day, Clean air quality, we need it several times per minute.CC: Have you noticed any changes since you first heard of Earth Day?
EB: Some good. Some not so good. Air quality in Los Angeles is better, in Mexico City it is worse. Tough environmental laws help individuals and industry alike.CC: For the LA Times you demonstrated you could fit a weeks worth of trash into the glove compartment of your electric VW Rabbit...Ed, Is this a realistic example for people to follow?
EB: Absolutely. I have a very comfortable lifestyle and I use very little.CC: If you could tell someone to just do one thing, what would that one thing be?
EB: "AA" is the answer . . . Avoid Automobiles. But people can be bigger than just one thing. As people who care about their quality of life and the health and well-being of ourselves and other, we must be proactive in support of environmental protections.CC: Why do you believe that individuals can make a difference?
EB: Because, as Ghandi said, 'when people lead, governments will follow.'Written by: Carolyn Chase. Excerpted with permission from the San Diego Earth Times
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