Actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr., a strong advocate for green living who actually rode his bicycle to the 2006 Academy Awards, will be in St. Louis next week to lead a public forum and Q&A session for those interested in green building and remodeling.

This completely free event will be held on Sat., Oct. 11 in the student center at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Doors open at noon; Begley will speak at 1 p.m. Then, at 3 p.m., St. Louis professionals working in residential green building will lead two separate, concurrent hour-long workshops that cover every aspect of building, buying and remodeling green homes.

One workshop is for residential builders and architects; the other is for the public, remodelers, real estate agents and designers. “The idea is to have a one-stop shop for people interested in building or retrofitting a home that reduces the carbon footprint,” said James Trout, green design/build consultant for My Green Cottage STL.

Some 15-25 exhibitors will be on hand to show the public that, as Trout explains, “It is now possible to build or renovate efficient, sustainable homes without having it cost a lot more than typical construction.”

From 9 to 10 a.m. on Oct. 11, Begley will also host a sneak preview of The Greens at Fox Run, the region’s largest geothermal-fueled community. The open house begins at the Fox Run Golf Club located off Highway W, south of Eureka. See www.TheGreensAtFoxRun.com for directions.

Begley’s wit and encyclopedic knowledge of eco-friendly home renovating and home building led to his own reality TV show, “Living with Ed,” co-starring his wife Rachelle Carson. The show is a humorous riff on the conflict between Begley’s passion for sustainable living and Carson’s impatience with his environmental activism. He also appears in the new CBS sitcom “Gary Unmarried” as Dr. Walter Krandall.

A long-time television actor, Begley played Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the long-running television series “St. Elsewhere,” for which he received six Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination. His father Ed Begley, Sr. won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the 1962 film “Sweet Bird of Youth.”

For maps, directions, event information and workshop registration: visit www.MyGreenCottageSTL.com