Are you watching the Live Earth concerts today?
Are you soaking in the messages as well as the music?
I was a little skeptical about the sincerity and potential outcome of this global concert event. One hundred fifty artists performing in ten cities on seven continents to draw global awareness for environmental issues is a noble cause, but will humanity look at this as just a publicity stunt for the music industry? Or will we learn something from the messages that are spread throughout the television, radio and internet coverage?
Holding a concert for a cause is nothing new. One of the first was George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh in August, 1971. The concert, the album and the film has raised millions of dollars for UNICEF. Live Aid in July, 1985 was a huge two-venue, two-country event to help provide famine relief in Ethiopia. The early Earth Day celebrations often connected music with the environment as today’s event is doing.
Boomers can take credit for initiating the trend but successive generations are as much a part of this one as anyone. Boomer Al Gore is one of the organizers of Live Earth. Musicians include a generational potpourri of styles and artists: Madonna, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis (and Phil Collins), Duran Duran, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Linkin Park, Garth Brooks, Snoop Dog and more.
The temporarily reunited Police are scheduled for later today. No doubt they’ll perform Message In A Bottle, including the line I'll send an SOS to the world.
S.O.S. is a major theme in the logo and marketing efforts of this event. Does anyone younger than a Boomer know what S.O.S. means? And what the …---… means?
Televised coverage of this event includes many examples of simple steps individuals can take to help reduce pollution and other environmental problems. I usually consider myself to be environmentally aware, but honestly all I really do is recycle cans, bottles and paper. And turn out lights in empty rooms. Living 42 miles from work and commuting alone five days a week in an SUV with a V8 engine certainly does not bode well for me when I claim to be an environmentalist.
Maybe the awareness part of today’s event will change some of my behavior. Will it change yours?
A Little Ditty
2 weeks ago
3 comments:
Great post title... very clever. ;)
I actually didn't see any of it. I'm not sure what kind of effect it'll have on people's awareness, but I do find it ironic that they're using all those resources (massive amounts of electricity, fuel, water, plastic, paper)to promote environmentalism.
I'm trying to get my husband to think about getting a hybrid car for his commute. No luch so far.
I considered that irony too. I think they did some environmentally-friendly things like special bulbs for some of the stage lighting. There was lots of chatter about fuel-efficient tour busses (I don't remember what kind of fuel they mentioned).
I'm looking for another vehicle, but I'm not ready for a hybrid yet. I'll probably still get an SUV, but something more fuel-efficient. And used (if you can't recycle then re-use).
Actually, I read an article on it yesterday and some of the stages were feuled by bio-fuels and they recycled as much as possible of the trash that was generated, things like that.
In the end it doesn't sound so bad after all. Maybe, just maybe the message will stick.
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