Aug. 27, 2010

******Actor/environmentalist opens 2010 speaker series Sept. 28**

Ed Begley Jr. isn't just another celebrity-turned-environmentalist.

The 60-year-old actor has been involved with the environmental movement for 40 years – well before his career took off with a role on the TV show, St. Elsewhere. In 1970, an oil crisis motivated him to buy an electric car.

In the four decades since, environmental activism has been a personal mission for him, something he's turned into a second career of trying to inspire others to "live simply so others can simply live," as he says.

Begley will lecture at California State University, Monterey Bay's World Theater on Sept. 28 as the President's Speaker Series resumes. His topic: Living an Eco-Friendly Life.

"We have to protect this planet, our most important asset, and stop using it up like we're having a going-out-of-business sale," Begley told the San Jose Mercury News.

It takes ingenuity, sacrifice and commitment to incorporate energy efficiency and sustainable living into daily life, as Begley demonstrates on "Living with Ed," his TV show on Discovery's Planet Green channel. The program follows Begley and his family as they try to implement his latest plan to make life more eco-friendly. He describes the program as "showbiz meets environmentalism . . . 'Green Acres' for the new millennium."

One segment featured Begley explaining how he produces energy with a bicycle each morning to make his breakfast toast. Just 10 minutes of pedaling generates enough power, stored in the batteries for his solar power system, to run the toaster.

Environmental lawyer and long-time friend Bobby Kennedy Jr. has said of Begley, "Ed has a greater sense of social obligation than anyone I know. He's like a West Coast cadet who gets up every morning and says, 'reporting for duty.' "

"Reporting for duty" means serving on the boards of a variety of environmental organizations including Friends of the Earth, and has earned him awards from the California League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Coalition for Clean Air, among others.

When not powering his toaster with a stationary bike, his day job includes roles on television (Arrested Development, Six Feet Under, St. Elsewhere, among others), in movies (among them For Your Consideration, Best in Show, and Batman Forever) and on stage.

At CSUMB, he'll bring the audience into his ultra-green world, shedding energy-efficient light on how each of us can make a difference.

The 7 p.m. lecture is free and open to the public. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made online (after Sept. 2) at csumb.edu/speakers or by calling the World Theater box office at 582-4580. Driving directions and a map of campus are available at csumb.edu/map.

After the talk, he will sign copies of his book, "Ed Begley Jr.'s Guide to Sustainable Living: Learning to Conserve Resources and Manage an Eco-Conscious Life."