WATCH IT: For those who swore they would never watch a reality show on TV (ever again), we found one that is worth breaking that oath. It’s called “Living With Ed.” It’s on 9 p.m. Sunday HGTV. And it’s all about living the (often humorous) eco life with actor Ed Begley Jr., who has been an arch-environmentalist since 1970, and his less-than-true-green wife Rachelle Carson.
The couple live in sweet disharmony in a very modest two-bedroom house (circa 1930s) in the very modest Studio City, Calif. “By Hollywood standards, this is a shack,” says Carson, who is Begley’s love/antagonist in the show and who (to her defense) endures Begley’s obsession with his solar roof, his eccentric way of making toast (he rides an exercise bike for 10 minutes in order to power the toaster) and his timing of her (with a watch) as she showers.
Although the two trade a seemingly endless parade of quips (which might be toned down just a tad), their struggles to live “green” and be “green” and stay married are very real — and makes for enjoyable Sunday night TV watching, not to mention educational Sunday night TV watching.
Eco-tips from Begley are free for the taking. (And there are more to be found at www.hgtv.com/green).
–Karen Klages
GREEN IT: After you switch over to compact flourescent bulbs, remember: A small amount of mercury is sealed within the glass tubing of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Don’t throw them out with regular household trash if better options exist.
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For disposal guidelines: visit www.earth911.org and plug in your ZIP code; call 877-EARTH911 [877-327-84911]; call your local waste management company; or visit www.lamprecycle.org. Some stores take back used CFLs.)
–K.K.
GET IT: To match or to blend — what’s a decision-weary homeowner to do when you have wood furniture, wood floors, wood cabinets and wood trim in the same room? The American Hardwood Information Center (a service of the Pennsylvania-based Hardwood Manufacturers Association) offers answers (and a lot of cheerleading for “blending”) in a complimentary, 17-page brochure titled “American Hardwoods by Design.”
The brochure gives tips (and quotes a number of big-name designers such as the New York-based Clodagh and Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz) for contrasting, harmonizing and generally pulling off a good look with several woods and finishes present.
Get the booklet free by visiting www.hardwoodinfo.com and click on “Write and Request.” Or call 800-373-WOOD (800-373-9663).
–K.K.
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