Ed Begley and his dog Bernie go green!
Celebrate Earth Day with Ed Begley! TV and movie actor, environmental and animal advocate, Ed Begley, Jr. can be seen riding his bicycle everywhere in Hollywood (his personal version of recycling) while practicing the green mission motto; "take action yourself"!
Begley has starred in movies such as; the Seth Rogan/Judd Apatow hit film, Pineapple Express, as well as many Christopher Guest films, including; A Mighty Wind, Best In Show, and For Your Consideration. Other film credits Begley can be proud of include; Batman Forever, The Accidental Tourist and The In-Laws. His television credits include; Gary Unmarried, Recount with Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson and Laura Dern, and recurring roles on Six Feet Under, Arrested Development and Boston Legal.
His environmental community work has earned him prestigious awards from; the California League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Coalition for Clean Air, Heal the Bay and the Santa Monica Baykeeper. Begley has lent his time and support to over 18 environmental organizations including; the Environmental Media Association, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Thoreau Institute, Earth Communications Office, Tree People and Friends of the Earth, among many others.
Begley lives in a self-sufficient solar powered home near Los Angeles with his wife Rachelle, young daughter, and their adopted dog, Bernie. He created his own natural green product line called; Begley's Earth Responsible Products and supports "greening your pet". Animal Fair Media's Wendy Diamond recently met with Begley to find out all the healthy details.
WD: Ed, what do you feel is important when you have a dog and how to keep your home green?
EB: One of the most important things you have to do with your dogs, with your other children, and if you will, your homosapien children, any of your kids. You don't wanna have a lot of toxics around; you don't wanna have any toxics around. Eliminate all that stuff. Many years ago, I started with all this green stuff back in 1970, and started using all biodegradable soaps and detergents, using vinegar, water, baking soda, stuff that was very cheap too! This can be very cost effective so you wanna get all that stuff out from under your sink, out from your home, don't put it on your carpet, don't put it on your floor, cause what do dogs do? What do cats do? They lick the floor, they clean themselves, and their paws are constantly in it. So if you have a bunch of toxic elements around, they're gonna get sick from it, guaranteed.
WD: Do you feel that vinegar and water actually cleans as well as green products?
EB: Yeah, vinegar and water cleans good for somebody on a strict budget, but it smells like vinegar, and a lot of people don't want that vinegar smell. There are other products, Seventh Generation makes some wonderful products and the IVA, line of non toxic cleaning products, are very very good! But you don't have to get mine, any of the good non toxic cleaning products that are out there, at a place like Whole Foods or online.
WD: You've been living green since 1970 – do you have any medical issues now compared to other people?
EB: I'm 62-years-old, I'm a vegetarian and lived a pretty non toxic life since 1970. So, I'm in pretty good shape. I've been to my high school reunion, whatever I'm doing, I think I'm gonna keep doing it! You know, diet has a lot to do with it, exercise has a lot to do with it, but my generation is the first generation to get hit with so many toxic elements in day to day life. You sleep on a polyurethane mattress; use all these nasty cleaning supplies that are on your carpet or your floor. You clean up the sink with all this stuff, you go to the dry cleaners, you have per-chloroethylene that you breath in when your there, and it's on your legs when you put our pants on. You're exposed to Ethylene dibromide, when you pump your gas. I'll spare you the chemistry that you encounter everyday of your life, but it's a lot. And so the synergy of all those chemicals together can be very damaging to a lot of people. Many people have chemical sensitivity, and I've been away from that kind of toxic chemistry for some time, and I feel very healthy, so something's working right and same with my family. My family is in good health because we don't have toxic elements in the home.
WD: What is your dog Bernie's feeding diet?
EB: He likes a little bit of wet food on top of some dry food. We get the best high quality stuff that they have; Castren Pollicis is a good brand, and other organic brands like Newman's Own, they have these at Whole Foods. I just go and I try different ones, Nature's Recipe, Bernie really likes that, this brand has good whole food in it; peas and carrots.
WD: How did you find Bernie, did you adopt him?
EB: My wife found him online, at a place called Bark n' Bitches on Fairfax.
WD: Gotta love that name, tell us more.
EB: She found this wonderful dog online. Bark n' Bitches is one of those great places that finds out the day, usually April 2nd, when animals are set to be euthanized. Sadly our little angel Bernie was set to go on April 2nd. At some point before noon on April 2nd , Bark n' Bitches and other wonderful places take these animals, and they keep them in a wonderful environment on Fairfax Ave, wherever they have room, and post the animals on their website, and send out e-mails to people like my wife, a wonderful sap like my wife. We saw this dog needed a home, so we went and met this dog and we tried a few other dogs. We had another one that was very cute, looked a lot like Bernie, but was a real nipper, I mean draw blood nipper, drew blood a couple of times with my daughter and some friends. So maybe this wasn't the best dog for our lifestyle, and then we found Bernie and he's a great dog, very good natured, does not nip. Has one little issue we had to work on, he's one of those dogs that likes to mark and go to the bathroom inside a bit. But we worked with him in a kind and loving manner, and now he doesn't do it anymore. So Bernie's the perfect dog now!
WD: How did you name him?
EB: That was the name that they picked for him. I don't know what his name was beforehand. Bernie is cute, intelligent, very smart, very good natured. Who would drop this dog off at the pound? Can we look in the records; was he rounded up without a collar? They said somebody just dropped the dog off – I just couldn't imagine somebody dropping this dog off. Then when we saw that the dog was peeing around the house, we said "maybe that's why", somebody couldn't deal with it. We decided to deal with it, and had a training period that was nice and loving, and we got him to stop doing that. Now he is, as has always been, a great dog.
WD: If Bernie was a celebrity, who would he be?
EB: Bernie.
WD: A green celebrity – not you?
EB: I think Bernie would be, Julia Louis Dreyfus. Cause he's smart, he's funny, and he's very loving. But wait, he's a boy!
WD: Larry David?
EB: Larry David! He's a wonderful guy. Bernie wouldn't mind being Larry David. Who wouldn't mind being Larry David? But Bernie's not as funny as him. So I would say more like, Jason Alexander. Okay you're (looking at Bernie) Jason Alexander!
WD: With hair?
EB: With hair!
WD: Explain how you would protect a home from toxic cleaning products that can harm cats and dogs when they sniff and walk on floors, which can possibly cause cancer?
EB: I'll tell you my opinion; we should protect our dogs, our cats, our human relationships, all our children, our loved ones, by not having all these toxic elements in the home. Many times over the years I've been with other folks, we've gone out and protested a hazardous waste site with placards. We don't want this hazardous waste site near our home. That's a good mission, but what about the hazardous waste site that's already in your home, the hazardous waste site that's under your sink. Sadly a lot of people sadly have that kind of toxic chemistry right there in their home in the form of cleaning supplies, so you don't wanna use the toxic floor cleaning products, you don't wanna use the toxic carpet cleaning product.
WD: What exactly are in those toxic products?
EB: There are chlorinated hydrocarbons, there's all kinds of stuff! If it's a chemical that you have trouble pronouncing, you might wanna steer clear of it. You don't really need ammonia to clean the floor; you can clean the floor without it and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Steer clear of those things, and stick with the more natural stuff. Those products exist and they clean very well. Plant based products, using citrus, pine, and other natural ingredients that are not as harmful, and the house gets very very clean. Dish soap, hand soap, different things that you are encountering, your pets are encountering every day, you wanna have the non-toxic food and non-toxic cleaning supplies throughout your house, and guess what you're all gonna be a lot healthier.
WD: Can you talk about the shampoo for dogs and the toxic ingredients versus the natural stuff?
EB: There comes a point with any wonderful dog, where you need to give the dog a bath, you want the dog to be clean. So when you do that what kind of product are you gonna use for that? There are toxic shampoos that exist with all kinds of chemicals that you wouldn't want to encounter yourself, why put it on your pet? The toxins goes on their fur, on to their skin and it's not good for them. They get rashes and you can tell when your dog is having a bad reaction to this stuff, so stick with the non toxic stuff that doesn't have any of those hazardous chemicals. Some people still think, oh it's just for a dog, it's not like it's a person. Dogs have sensitive skin too and can get very sick, indeed by body weight, their even more susceptible to this stuff. You have to be very careful with what kind of cleaning supplies you use around the dog, and what kind of shampoos and other grooming aids you might use on a dog too.
WD: What are some of Bernie's funny and crazy traits?
EB: Bernie is very funny – he's like a little kangaroo! He can jump to a height that is incredible from just standing on the ground, he's on all fours and suddenly he'll leap up, like two times his height. He'll leap up to my shoulder level, I don't know how he does it but he's quite agile.
WD: Does he do it for a treat?
EB: He does it for entertainment, to get your attention, to impress you. It's the reason he does many things.
WD: Does he take after his father?
EB: No, he's so gorgeous, he takes after Rachel. He has the good looks that I don't have.
If you're curious about Begley's sefl-sufficient home, you can learn everything about it by watching "On Begley Street". On Begley Street is a Web series that explores the building of North America's greenest, most sustainable home. You will follow Begley Jr. and his wife, Rachelle Carson-Begley, as they attempt to build their home under LEED Platinum Certified standards.
Each episode explores sustainable living and balancing comfort with consumption. The Begleys' adventures are often heightened by their numerous and comical mistakes. Of course, there's lots of how-to information for the D-I-Y-er, but it's as much about living sustainably, building sustainably, and, mostly, it's about the Begleys and their daughter, Hayden, as they struggle to do the right thing for the environment, themselves and the future. Watch it here!
For more information on Ed Begley Jr., visit his website.
For the Best that Pet Lifestyle and Animal Welfare has to offer follow Wendy Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, and right here at AnimalFair.com!
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