But when I spoke with the actor and activist Saturday 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," Begley said 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 also happens to live 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, Suffet-Diaz was beaming as she carried her daughter on the paparazzi-lined, celebrity-filled green carpet over the weekend. 

Begley's enthusiasm for the school and support for Suffet-Diaz's efforts 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 such as ECHS and its Green Ambassador program are to the community.

I've got to admit, I had a blast being in the middle of the press contingent, covering the green carpet arrival of the stars and honorees, and being surrounded by so many kindred spirits and folks I admire greatly.

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 a big fan of theirs and that I love their school. That's one reason they don't treat me like some friend of their dad's. 

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.

The new Republican-dominated Congress now holds a majority of Representatives who think the science of global warming is a hoax, are dedicated to fighting the Environmental Protection Agency over greenhouse gas emission reductions, and are committed to rolling back environmental regulations and restrictions wherever and whenever they stand in the way of making a buck.

Our only hope now are the kids, and I'm 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, according to scientists.

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, refusing to even try to lead the pack. That dog won't hunt nor stand up for younger generations.

The kids who are now in Environmental Charter High School, Environmental Charter Middle School or any of our other Beach Cities schools can't count on the Republicans, Tea Partyers 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.