Ed Begley Jr. keeps HGTV in the green

Published: August 25, 2007

A lot has happened in the environmental movement since the first season of "Living With Ed” premiered on HGTV in January.

Driven by the popularity of Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth,” a debate has raged over human involvement in global climate change and how that should affect legislation, lifestyles and public policy.

In July, Live Earth, a series of massive rock shows in eight cities around the world, pushed the message of environmental consciousness. Considering how much energy a massive rock show consumes, one could wonder if it's the best venue to talk about conservation.

"I didn't see it,” Ed Begley Jr. says, "so I can't comment. But I wonder, too.”

In the meantime, Begley has continued living his eco-friendly life with his wife, Rachelle Carson, and daughter Hayden in their bilevel bungalow in Studio City, Calif., with its solar panels, solar oven, fruit trees, gardens, recycled materials and energy conservation.

Begley still struggles to be as environmentally conscious as possible, to the eternal annoyance of his wife, who would like a few more of the creature comforts that living in Hollywood has to offer.

That conflict was at the heart of the first season of "Living With Ed,” and it continues when the show returns for a new run, beginning with a preview at 9 p.m. Sunday and the second-season premiere at 9:30 p.m. Monday.

The new season also moves outside the Begleys' home, as he visits such celebrity pals as Daryl Hannah, spouses Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek, Sharon Lawrence, Jackson Browne, Bill Nye the Science Guy and "Everybody Loves Raymond” co-creator Phil Rosenthal to see how they're employing green technologies.

As for rising public and media interest in eco-issues, Begley said, "It's this perfect storm of several different events, many events coming to this tipping point where people of every stripe — Republicans, Democrats, people from many different economic and social strata — now get a connection.”

Since 1985, Begley has owned a 75-kilowatt wind turbine in the desert near Palm Springs. He's also installed one — albeit much smaller and quieter — in his yard. He's not alone in this, as "Living With Ed” viewers will see.

Begley also drops by the house of friend Cheryl Tiegs to help her find compact fluorescent bulbs that suit her decor. But in terms of stylish solar panels, it turns out Rosenthal is way ahead of his pal.

"I had to get up on his roof and look at them,” Begley said. "I said, ‘They look like the shake shingles. They look like the other shingles.' From the street, it was seamless. You could not see them. You'll see it on the show. It's fantastic. It's what it needs to be.”

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