Ed Begley, Jr.
Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty Images
READ MORE ABOUT:
Living with Ed follows Ed Begley, Jr., and his wife, Rachelle, as they green their home, family, and celebrity friends. But if you've ever wondered what kind of advice they'd give the rest of us, then the Ask Ed forum is your chance to find out. Readers submit questions and comments about the show, green living, etc., and Ed chimes in with his green answers; here, we've rounded up some highlights of the past week.
Q. I'm trying to find the whole house water filter very briefly shown in the segment of the couple with a baby in Venice where they did a whole house renovation and had the rented solar panels on the roof. The whole home water filter was verbally described as a sculpture and there was only a glimpse of it shown in the segment. I've found many many references to whole home water filters many of which state 'with Ed Begley's endorsement', however none of them look like this item shown in the episode.
A. The system in the early Living With Ed episode is called the Wellness Filter. It was installed in the house in Venice, CA on the show. It is not the one Rachelle and I selected for our own home. We have the Lifesource Water System in our house and we're very happy with it. You can find it at www.lifesourcewater.com. Hopefully you'll see the installation of it in our house on a future episode—it was pretty funny and Rachelle and I got into it pretty good. We also use a KYK ionizer for our drinking water— you can find it at www.waterforlifeusa.com.
Q. Just had one of those heated holiday debates yet again with my family. With the recent Rush Limbaugh rants on the climate crisis being a hoax, my family is still convinced that global warming is a hoax. I've tried showing peer reviewed articles and still get no response. Like a lot of hoax believers they spout what they see in the media as opposed to scientific evidence. I was wondering if you had any tips, suggestions, or other peer reviewed articles that might help me prove my point. I saw your appearance on Fox News with Stuart Varney and thats exactly how most of the conversations go with my family.
A. The problem with science is that it is always funded by either the government or corporate entities. However, in the long run, the truth always comes out through peer review. I liken it to the arguments from the '50s, '60s and '70s about the health effects of smoking. For years there was science that claimed smoking was ok for you and didn't cause lung cancer. Finally, the truth rose to the top—corporate interests cannot survive mass scientific scrutiny over time. I believe global warming and its causes will be agreed on in short order through peer review, but questioning it is not something I mind at all—we must all question everything. In the meantime, lets not put a 'patient with a fever in a sauna'. Lets do things to reduce our carbon footprints, save money, reduce our dependency on mid-east oil, improve national security etc. etc.—things we can ALL agree on without peer review.
Hope this helps with the holiday debates!
Ed
Q. Hello—just wanted to share this and wasn't sure where to post it.
I'm tired of sending out Xmas cards which probably end up in the trash. I do however think they are nice to display so this is my answer. The following is printed out and pasted on the inside of the card.
Congratulations, you are part of the war to save the environment and prevent consumerism and commercialism. This Christmas card is a perpetual card. Like many cards today, it has no expiration date. The greeting wish sent to you in this card will automatically renew each Christmas.
Sadly, at the end of the Christmas season, these cards are stored in a box and forgotten about—only accumulating and taking up valuable space in your home. Some people actually throw these beautiful cards in the trash!
Now these Christmas Cards can live on—feel loved and give love.
How this works: At the end of this Christmas season, just store this card with your Christmas decorations, and next year, the year after, etc. when you decorate your home (not before December 1) put the card on display once again and enjoy the greeting for a wonderful Christmas season. More importantly—you can be proud of saving trees and energy.
A. A nice holiday sentiment.
Ed
WATCH VIDEO: New Holiday Traditions - Green Holiday Tips
Ask Ed: Leave Your Question for Ed Here
More about Ed Begley, Jr.
Living with Ed: Inside the Show
The TreeHugger Interview: Ed Begley, Jr.
Ed Begley, Jr., on Going Off the Grid, Greening Traffic, and More
