Actor and Environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr., brings “a message of hope”

WOOSTER, Ohio - "If you came here tonight expecting doom and gloom," Ed Begley, Jr., announced, "I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." Without minimizing the difficulty of addressing environmental issues like groundwater contamination and air pollution, the actor and environmentalist told a large and attentive audience in McGaw Chapel last night that he came bearing "a message of hope."

"Do not be put off by the specter of the challenges we face," Begley said. "I'm very hopeful about what we can do because of what we've already done."

As an example, he cited his hometown, Los Angeles. Since 1970, the number of cars in L.A. has increased four-fold, he said, but the air has gotten cleaner, as a result of state and federal environmental protection legislation, which has spurred development of cleaner engines and power plants.

Begley, who bought his first electric car in 1970, ("Let's be honest folks, this was a golf cart with headlights and a horn") described his personal journey to environmental awareness and activism. He credited his 'conservative, Republican father' with teaching him to conserve.

"He always said, "Don't tell people what to do, tell them what you've done," Begley recalled. When his father died in 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, Begley began to think about what he could do for the environment.

From that day to this, he has consistently sought out ways to reduce his personal environmental impact, by means both large (installing solar panels on his home) and small (walking or biking instead of driving whenever possible).  He urged his listeners to do the same.

"Everybody can do something for the environment," he said. "Pick the low-hanging fruit. Maybe you can't afford solar panels, but everybody can afford a [compact fluorescent] light bulb or a bus pass or a bicycle."

Begley was the third speaker in this year's Wooster Forum series, whose theme is "Green Footprints on the Blue Planet." The forum concludes next Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m., with a presentation by ecologist and author Sandra Steingraber: "From Raindrops to Amniotic Fluid - How Chemical Contamination of Water Threatens and Violates Human Rights."

The College of Wooster is an independent liberal arts college, nationally recognized for an innovative curriculum that emphasizes independent learning. Each Wooster senior works one-on-one with a faculty mentor to create an original research project, written work, performance or art exhibit. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 1,800 students.