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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 have recently been doing a lot of research on plastics. I have learned that there are chemicals called phthalates that pose various health concerns. They are in plastic bottles, acrylic products, lotions...basically they're everywhere because they're lubricants and plasticizers. Because of the chemical make-up they leach into the atmosphere, water bottles, soil, water, etc. Is this a concern for you?
A. I do believe that phthalates pose some potential harm. I try to limit our use of plastic containers in our home whenever possible, particularly when it relates to food items. The biggest one is probably bottled water, something that is troublesome on so many levels. Since installing our new water filter system, I've even got Rachelle to use a reusable bottle now. I call that progress!
Ed
Q. I am sure this is not a new concept, but how can we get legislation for each city/state to coordinate their red light patterns? It is very frustrating and wasteful to accelerate up to speed only to have to stop at the next light, stop and go, stop and go, at each intersection. With technology, we should be able to time our traffic light patterns so we move more fluently, thus saving time and energy. I think if all countries did a better job at this we could save a tremendous amount of time/money and Mother Earth.
A. I agree—and from what I read, the development of better traffic controls is part of the "smart grid" technology development area. Hopefully we'll see positive changes here soon. My personal solution has always been electric cars, and more recently hybrid cars. When you have a car that shuts down at stop lights and uses no fuel when it's not moving, it makes an immediate impact in both fuel consumption and emissions.
Ed
Q. I recently left NYC to live in an small, old cottage in Maine. I want to become more self-sufficient in regard to energy. We have power outages up here more often than in the city, so I'd like to invest in something that will jump-start me into getting off the grid. Where do you suggest I begin? And is there an organization that can recommend a list of trustworthy resources?
A. There are a number of ways to have power in your home if the grid goes out. The easiest is probably a small generator—gas, diesel, biodiesel, propane—something that can make 1000 or 2000 watts of power when needed. If you decide to go solar, you can add battery backup that will keep you running if the grid goes down. Same is true for wind. You'll need the grid tie for the rebates and tax credits, but battery back up is a good investment if you have grid problems as often as you say.
Ed
More about Ed Begley, Jr., and Living With Ed
Living With Ed: Inside the Show
Ask Ed: Leave Your Question for Ed Here
The TreeHugger Interview: Ed Begley, Jr.
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