Ed Begley Jr. is one of my environmental heroes and his show "Living With Ed" has had a major eco-impact on the way my wife and I live our own lives.

But when I spoke with Ed last night at the Rethink Green fundraiser for Environmental Charter High School he told me that two of his big environmental heroes are friends of mine who live right here in the South Bay.

"Dency Nelson is my hero," said Begley when I mentioned our mutual friend who has long been the South Bay's green leader and environmental conscience.  The two first met when they were working on the 70s classic soap opera spoof, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and have followed a very similar path to using solar power, driving electric cars, practicing energy efficiency and waste reduction and living in green buildings. 

Begley's other local hero lives in Hermosa Beach— Alison Suffet-Diaz, the dynamic founder of Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) and Executive Director of Environmental Charter Schools.  Fresh off the successful launch of the new Environmental Charter Middle School in nearby Inglewood, Alison was beaming as she carried her daughter on the paparazzi-lined, celebrity-filled green carpet. 

Begley's enthusiasm for the school and support for Suffet-Diaz's efforts to expand and spread its reach—including directly to schools in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach—was obvious and unbounded Saturday night as he and his wife, "Living with Ed" costar Rochelle Carson Begley, were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Both Begleys spoke with great energy and passion about the environmental progress we've made so far, how much opportunity there still is for individuals to make a difference and how important schools like ECHS and its Green Ambassador program are.

I've got to admit I had a blast being in the middle of the press contingent and covering the green carpet arrival of the stars and honorees.  And being pretty much surrounded over the course of the whole evening with so many kindred spirits and folks I admire greatly was a very cool way to spend a Saturday night.

But the most fun I had was getting the chance to hang with some of the ECHS students who were attending the event and part of the evening's program.  They know I'm big fans of theirs and that I love their school so that's one reason they don't treat me like some friend of their dad's. But I also had the official press list of the celebrities on the green carpet complete with photos so I had some special cachet this night.

But I bet they don't know that I'm counting on them, and the other kids here in California who are now in grammar, middle and high school, to save our world and rescue their own futures from the dangerous and doomed course we've now programmed into our nation's GPS.

I didn't bring that up Saturday because I was only too happy to be part of an upbeat and positive celebration of environmental action and success. It was a much-needed boost after last week's national election results drove a stake through any faith I might have had that we'll wake up and smell the planet burning.

Our only hope now are these kids and I betting they're up to the challenge.  They sure better be, because the adults of voting age across the USA have put us on the road to climate change ruin as certainly as the year 2010 has already become the hottest year in the history of mankind.

One political party has apparently abandoned all semblance of responsibility for the future and sold their very souls in exchange for higher returns on their investments, lower taxes and protection of mercenary jobs in industries that do far more harm than good. 

The other party has rolled over like a scared and easily bullied dog that knows it will never be the alpha and refuses to even try to lead the pack.  That dog won't hunt and it will not stand up for the younger generations.

The kids who are now in Environmental Charter High School, Environmental Charter Middle School or any of our other South Bay beach city schools can't count on the Republicans, Tea Partiers or Democrats to respond to accelerating global warming by doing any of the things necessary to stop the worst impacts.

These kids know they have to become their own Green Ambassadors and not only live a greener more sustainable life than their parents have but also speak out to others and literally shape their own futures. 

That's why I believe in them. That's why I love supporting their efforts. That's why I was in green heaven Saturday night.