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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. After sorting every single item that passes through my home for the past 2 1/2 years and taking out a garden-sized blue bag of sorted & rinsed recycling every week, I have found out that all [my city has] been doing is taking out any recyclables that are returnable for money. Besides being extremely angry at the time I've devoted to doing this and finding out that it has been for nothing, I don't know how to proceed. I've called around to area recycling centers and every one I've called only takes plastics & glass that are redeemable for cash and the only one I could find that I could haul my paper to only wants cardboard and "office paper." I would be able to drive my weekly "trash" somewhere to properly dispose of it, if it were available, but what about people who are unable to do that or don't have the time? Does anyone have any advice?
A. Back in the days before our good municipal recycling program here in L.A., I used to sort my plastics, metals and other non-city recyclables into boxes in the garage and then drive them to specialized recycling centers once or twice a year. Google searches and Earth 911 are good resources for finding places to recycle 1 through 7 plastics, metals and other things. Talk to waste handlers in your area as well—companies like Waste Management are also huge recyclers—so if you have some private waste handlers in your area, call them and find out where they are recycling or if they can set up small residential programs in your area. That can work too.
Ed
Q. I would like to know where you stand in regards to nuclear power. It may not be perfect (fuel recycling still not allowed in US) but in my opinion the new nuclear technologies are by far the best alternative to meeting our country's ever growing energy demand. The uranium fuel is so efficient that just one fuel pellet (about the size of a pencil eraser) provides as much energy as 149 gallons of oil, 1 ton of coal, or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas. And there's zero emissions. Nuclear energy has the smallest environmental impact of any electricity source that emits no greenhouse gases. A wind farm would need 235 square miles to produce the same amount of electricity as a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant—but the nuclear plant would need less than one percent of that area. The newest plant designs are extremely safe, reliable, and minimize the impact to the environment, including local marine life.
Don't get me wrong.....I love solar and wind technologies and energy conservation. Realistically though, nuclear power must be a part of our overall plan to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil. Solar and wind just don't produce enough energy.
A. I love nuclear power! I continue to support its use every day through the use of that wonderful reactor we have safely located 94 million miles from Earth.
Here at home, I believe that nuclear power is a devil's bargain, both in the disposal of the waste and the potential dangers. I also believe that it's still one of the most expensive electricity generating solutions, per kilowatt, that we have to choose from. I'll continue to push for other forms of renewable energy in front of nuclear.
Ed
Q. Everyone who talks about alternatives in transportation suggests different fuels for cars. This does a little to resolve the pollution, but nothing to prevent the immense space taken up by cars or the immense death toll that cars inflict. Therefore, what can Hollywood and the celebrities employed there do to promote other ways of getting around besides the private car?
A. I try to do everything that I can to lead by example. On the TV series and in my first book, I talk about my own personal transportation hierarchy:
1) Walking
2) Biking
3) Public Transportation
4) Electric car
5) Hybrid car
My hope is that as I continue to do these things, others will follow suit.
I just got back from a day of press in NYC and we did 13 press events in one day and I never used a car until the very last one. The first 12 were all done via walking or the subway. It was a great day of travel for me. And I think the TV network was happy about how much money we saved! A win-win all around.
Ed
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
