With a new Woody Allen movie now in production, Ed Begley Jr. is HOT these days! But the Emmy Award-nominated actor is not taking anything for granted.

Ed learned as a young boy never to waste anything. He was a starving actor down on his luck in 1970 when he bought an electric car. He said it wasn’t as much to help the environment as it was to help him afford to commute. But the bug bit, and soon, he was into reducing his carbon footprint before anyone knew what that meant.

He was so passionate about it, he was labeled a “weirdo” and a “wacko,” and he believes it even cost him jobs in the ’90s. After his successful stint on the 1980s classic hospital drama St. Elsewhere, he did a lot of guest spots on TV shows before creating a strong of memorable characters in Christopher Guest’s movies “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind” and “For Your Consideration.”

Now he lives in a solar powered home, which also provides the energy to run his car. He’s developed a solar cooker that is making it possible for impoverished families in Africa to be able to afford to prepare meals. And he has also developed a line he’s very proud of called Begley’s Best, an all-purpose cleaner that does the work of any household cleaning product.