“This is Static Beach; please do your part to protect your planet and future generations. Live simply so others can simply live,” actor Ed Begley Jr. said last Thursday into a microphone while taping a segment for local radio station Static Beach.
Keep Hermosa Hermosa and Stop Hermosa Beach Oil advocate Mike Collins as well as Tony Hale, executive board member for the California Democratic Party, Manhattan Beach Councilman Wayne Powell and Begley joined Static Beach founder Mark Sutherland for the inaugural taping of the station’s newest show, Grateful Planet.
Begley, a Studio City resident and Academy Award-winning actor, joined the group for the show because of his enthusiasm for environmental issues in California and around the world.
“I’m happy and proud to be a part of it,” Begley said. “And what a great location to look at… I had the luxury of gazing out to my left and seeing this beautiful cityscape and the ocean beyond. You guys are really smart to protect it. You’re real leaders here; it’s always a pleasure for me to come out [to Hermosa Beach].”
The group discussed issues about the local E&B Oil Project as well as global issues, like conservation and how individuals can contribute to environmentally sustainable solutions.
“Hermosa Beach is so small that any company that wants to invest in the future in a positive way can bring investors to the town and point to what they did and see their effect,” said Collins.
“This is part of a larger conversation,” Hale added. “We have a moral imperative to do these things as well, not only because it’s a good way to improve life and the community… There are very real problems, and we need to protect our climate. The way we do that is to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Begley, who owns a 2002 Toyota Rav4 Electric Vehicle, suggested starting small by taking public transportation, growing a home garden or start composting.
“I’m always focused on solutions, not just what I’m against,” Begley said after the radio show went off-air. “I talk about those things I’m opposed to, but what are you in favor of? I got that from my wonderful dad, Ed Begley Sr. Back then I was against the smog, and he said, ‘I know you’re against the smog, but what are you for? What’s your solution?’ My solution was to ride my bike and take public transportation and buy an electric car. When you say no to this Hermosa Beach drilling, what are you in favor of? Are you in favor of solar or wind energy? You have to make up for that shortfall somewhere and you can make up for it with energy conservation and renewables, in my opinion.”
Sutherland expects to expand the radio show to a monthly segment, and eventually weekly. Since Static Beach is located on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach, but isn’t carried on any local, non-internet radio stations – he plans on making the shows available online.
“I got the idea when I was with Bob Meistrell [former Body Glove co-founder] and we were having these conversations about the importance of protecting the environment,” said Sutherland. “He asked if there was something we could do a about it and decided to really combine forces and see what we could do together.”
The pair began planning a live broadcast with some members of the Beach Boys from aboard Meistrell’s yacht, the Disappearance, as well as a massive beach cleanup on the same day.
“There was some point that it dawned on me that we were thinking too small,” said Sutherland. “Instead of doing a one-off we could create an ongoing vehicle and have these conversations on an ongoing basis and Static Beach could provide a platform for these conversations and connect these powerful people who all feel the same we do.”
Since the genesis of the idea, Sutherland has recruited celebrities like Adam Gardner, the lead singer from Guster, Jane Goodall, Harry Shearer from the Simpsons, and other yet to be disclosed A-list celebrities.
“We’re having these discussions here in the South Bay about clean energy, and oceans, but all these conversations that are so important to us locally resonate nationwide,” said Sutherland. “That’s what’s cool, we definitely have a local approach to this but we’re still very aware we have ears nationwide.”
Visit http://staticbeach.com/ to listen to the show. Sutherland expects it to air in 3 – 4 weeks. ER
