Right this Minute

I love Ed Begley, Jr. Had you asked me a year ago about him, I'd have said that I knew who he was, that he was mega-pro-environment, but that's all I knew. Now I know a lot more. There is a really terrific show on HGTV called Living with Ed and it's about to begin it's second season. Here's a paragraph from the show's website description:

"Living with Ed usually starts early. He pops out of bed way before Rachelle and is always full of energy. In order for Ed to make toast for breakfast, he hops on a stationary bike. Unlike an ordinary exercise machine, this one is hooked up to the batteries that run the house. By pedaling he can make energy to run his toaster. By biking for 10 minutes, Ed creates enough energy to make two pieces of toast. After hitting the correct amount of wattage, Ed can enjoy his toast knowing he earned it."


So when you read this, you think....ha ha, crazy eco-actor....get a life. But you know what? I saw this episode and I've got to tell you, it made me want to hook up my stupid bike to my toaster (or at least Scott's bike because we all know he could pedal up some toast lickety-split).

Another direct lift from the website - this time from the amazed production crew that shot the first season:

"He never preaches about what he is doing. If he is asked, he will tell you exactly what he thinks and never pass judgment on those who are outside of his box of thinking."

"He doesn’t expect everyone to live like him. It’s this little thing he does where he has his personal goals and you just naturally aspire to be like him. He makes it look so easy and he doesn’t ask anything of you."

"He walks the walk 100%."

"He is way ahead of the rest of the world. Ok, maybe the rest of the world has been told to take care of the planet over and over again, but he actually listens and cares about future generations. We all are obsessed with being more technologically advanced, but maybe Ed has it right with his one simple phrase: Live Simply…So Others Can Simply Live."

I agree whole-heartedly with these quotes, and that is why I got so sucked in. Because Ed makes it look so easy, so natural, and just does his thing because he wants to do his thing without being preachy......it makes me want to follow.


The very best part about the show is his wife, Rachelle. She is very clearly NOT ED. Rachelle likes nice things. She likes to look good (I wonder how long Ed has to pedal for the electricity it takes just to blow out her hair). She likes her house to look good. She likes to fly in airplanes to go to far-away destinations. Ed spends much of his time trying to mitigate the destruction she may be causing to the environment. It's awesome. She flies to Sundance....he drives the hybrid car and buys TerraPass credits to try to reduce her carbon imprint. Ah, love. Please try to watch this show. Check your local listings for the 2nd season opener on HGTV - beginning on my birthday - Monday, August 27 (probably 7:30 or 8:30 pm).