An actor and environmental activist left California today headed for Iowa in his alternative-fuel car. Ed Begley Junior may be best known for his role on the T-V show “St. Elsewhere” but he wants to make a mark helping clean up the planet. Begley is driving to Des Moines in a specially-rebuilt car.The Chevy Cavalier runs on natural gas. He also has another car that runs on electricity and his California home is all solar-powered. Begley often rides a bicycle. He says corn-based ethanol is a clean-burning fuel alternative to gasoline, but it still dirties the air.Begley is making the road trip half-way across the nation to take part in Friday’s kickoff of “Iowa Earth Year 2000,” a yearlong effort to promote environmental responsibility.
