Living Like Ed - (Page 10) 10 sues. There are people dying all over the planet. It seems pretty easy to be into the environment. It’s sort of a safe cause.” And Don said, “Without the environment, we’d be without the basic human rights of clean air and fresh water.” He made a good point. But it wasn’t until Ed and I really got serious that my lifestyle began to change in a big way. That’s not to say it’s been an easy transition. Where Ed sees only the environment—and the financial savings—I can see the other side. I care about the environment, I really do, but I also care about aesthetics. I help our family find some sort of balance. In this book, I speak for the “average guy,” the one who can’t always remember which kind of plastic can go into the recycling bin—or who can’t understand why a rain barrel has to be big and orange and ugly. Surely there must be an attractive rain barrel out there someplace! Just as, surely, there must be organic clothing that’s flattering and stylish and comfortable, too. One thing I’ve gotta admit: You can’t accuse Ed of “going green” to be chic or because everyone else around him is doing it. He doesn’t go whichever way the wind blows. He’s not a faddist. He doesn’t follow the trends. In 1990 it wasn’t trendy to ride a bike for any other purpose than to get fit. No one did it to preserve the environment—or to stay out of a gasolinepowered car—unless they were a granola-head in Humboldt County. In fact, eco-consciousness was so far under the radar at that time that Ed’s environmental efforts were seen as weird. As his wife, it’s been hard to stand by and watch people treat Ed like some kind of green freak. I think it even cost Ed a little bit in his career. His actions made some people feel uncomfortable or like he was judging them. He’s never been one to judge; he just did what heroes do: He made a sacrifice for something bigger than himself. But now the attitudes are shifting. There are lots of like-minded people in Hollywood who think, “I like Ed’s commitment to the environment; he’s really a good guy. Wouldn’t it be funny to cast him as the masked murderer in this show?” That’s the great thing about “hard work finally meets opportunity”—now everyone’s eager to hear what he has to say because it’s become more chic,
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