Actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. appears in a new public service announcement that Newport Beach city officials hope will inspire residents to conserve water.“What makes our environment thrive is water,” Begley says in the 30-second spot. “It’s time to change our water use habits.”Begley took a break to from making his new reality series on eco-friendly living called “Living with Ed” to film the public service announcement.In the announcement, Begley encourages Newport Beach residents to conserve water by planting drought-resistant landscaping around their homes and watering less.The public service announcement will be featured this year and into 2010 in all Newport Beach movie theaters, at the annual Newport Beach Film Festival, and on the local Newport Beach government channel, available on Time-Warner Channel 3 and Cox Channel 30.The video also can be viewed at www.watersmartnewport.org.