Ed Begley Goes Where No Star Has Gone Before

Two green thumbs up, kudos and thanks to Ed Begley, Jr. for daring to “risk” his reputation speaking up for a topic that has long been taboo. Ed puts the rest of the Hollywood celebrities and rock stars to shame by being the first and only to lend his face, name and wonderful sense of humor to one of the most important, but also most untouchable, causes on planet Earth.

This is a must-see, must-share video.

The Center for Biological Diversity and Ed Begley, Jr. both make the Hall of Fame today for creating this new public service announcement making a recommendation too few have dared to make. There’s a big difference between A) providing information and recommendations about family-size decisions and B) criminalizing becoming an octomom (or even a dimom or tridad). Yet for too long, the reaction to A has often been to take serious offense as if B had actually been proposed. If you’ve ever worn socks with sandals I’m sure you understand what I just wrote.

Safe Sex, Food & Energy Waste, & Rock & Roll
This PSA is one of three released this week by the Center for Biological Diversity, as part of their new Better Than Ed campaign. Begley shares unorthodox ways to tackle energy waste, food waste and the unsustainable growth of our human population — from eating garbage to studiously avoiding all sexual encounters — as a means of drawing attention to the real, effective ways that people can fight some of our most pressing environmental threats.

I love the use of humor to tackle these difficult subjects. I hate to admit Ed is probably better at it than I am (see Interviewer Gets Slapped and Avoid Unplanned Parenthood)

“Sometimes you have to poke fun at serious problems to draw attention to real solutions. But you don’t have to eat garbage or be famous to help save the world.”  

                     — Ed Begly, Jr.

Center for Biological Diversity is not a virgin when it comes to the Wall of Fame here at Growth Bias Busted. I’ve long admired their bold population messaging, which – unfortunately for the world – sets them apart from most (spineless) environmental NGOs. Check out their Endangered Species Condoms project.

“Most people know that runaway growth and waste have terrible environmental consequences, but it can be tough to know how one person can make a difference. These are big, complicated issues to tackle, but with Ed’s help, we hope to show that everyone has a role to play in solving them.”

                    — Stephanie Feldstein, the Center’s population and sustainability director

All three PSAs made me laugh. Please reward this noble effort and extend its reach and efficacy by sharing these widely – especially with teens who might be tempted to take the high-risk (gasp) road of unprotected sex, and young couples who might be contemplating starting a family.

If you appreciate Ed’s approach, check out his BegleyLiving website, too.

Go, Ed, go.