LOOK UP – Ed Begley, Jr. Bikes Through Cleveland to Educate People About Affordable, Energy-Saving Tools that Save Money and Protect the Environment
Actor and environmental activist Ed Begley, Jr. hooked up with EarthWatch Ohio executive director Stefanie Spear and her daughter, Samantha, to go door to door in Beachwood, Ohio on Thanksgiving, educating people on the simple and affordable ways to save energy and money.
Ed Begley, Jr. is on a crusade.
Living simply has become complicated. In fact, so complicated that the well-known actor and environmentalist is doing the only thing that will get his message of simplicity across—ride a bike through five cities come sleet, snow or rain.
Begley’s bike tour took him to five notoriously cold cities in five days during the Thanksgiving holiday week: Chicago; Cleveland; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia and the Big Apple, New York City, for the big finale. Along the way, the “Living with Ed” star talked with people, met with local government officials and visited local businesses, all in support of reasonable and realistic solutions for saving energy.
“A lot of people are concerned about what new energy sources will save our planet—things they can’t control,” says Begley. “Instead, we should be looking at the difference we can make in our own lives every day. It starts at home.”
Begley’s bike ride for change is in support of LOOK UP, a campaign to promote the fact that a programmable thermostat in conjunction with a ceiling fan can save as much as $500 a year on energy bills. Begley, a pioneer in the “green living” movement, is passionate about telling people how to heat their homes more efficiently this winter.
“Ceiling fans and thermostats are affordable, energy-saving tools that most of us already have in our homes,” says Begley. “Given the challenging economy and rising energy costs, it’s crucial to educate America about this easy, energy-saving strategy that requires no sacrifice.”
According to a 2005 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, more than 42 percent of the 66 million single-family homes with at least one ceiling fan are using them incorrectly or not at all. Additionally, more than half of the 53.7 million single-family homes that have a thermostat do not use a programmable thermostat, which can lead to additional energy savings.
“There is still a need to educate homeowners about simple energy-saving strategies,” says Jim Gallman, Hunter Fan Co. vice president of marketing. “Ed Begley’s bike ride for change in support of LOOK UP is helping to prove that.”
LOOK UP is a campaign to build awareness of the energy-saving potential of two common household appliances—a ceiling fan and programmable thermostat. Its mission is to slash energy bills by giving consumers the tools and resources to use these appliances properly. LOOK UP was launched in October and is supported by Hunter Fan Company.
For more information, visit www.changehappensindegrees.org