Following
in his Oscar-winning father's footsteps, Ed became a well-known actor on television
and in the movies. But he has been an environmentalist for even longer. He spent
his early years in the1950s in Long Island, New York, camping and enjoying the
wilderness surrounding his home. But when his family moved back to Los Angeles,
where he was born, he found he could hardly breathe. At the time, the San Fernando
Valley was choked with smog. He also wondered what happened to the mounds of garbage
after the trucks came to take it away. Then, when he saw the beauty of the Earth
as a whole in the pictures sent from the moon in 1969, he was ready to get involved
in saving the environment. On the first Earth Day in 1970, he became a vegetarian,
started recycling, and bought his first electric car! Ever since, Ed Begley, Jr.
has been an environmental activist and widely respected leader in the movement
to save the Earth. He works closely with THE WALDEN WOODS PROJECT, ENVIRONMENTAL
MEDIA ASSOCIATION, ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION, and the EARTH COMMUNICATIONS
OFFICE. Ed is a long-time friend of environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, speaks
out wherever he goes on sustainable living and has created "Begley's Best", a
natural, environmentally friendly cleaning product.
(bio
© Larry Auld)