A Better "Live Earth"

I was thinking about the "eco landmarks" of the summer of 2007, and of course, "Live Earth" came to mind. Like many, I logged onto the web site and signed off on my "pledge" to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Like many, I tuned in to watch performers do their thing, from a rather subdued Keith Urban, to a nearly out of control Melissa Etheridge, who sang, talked, and ranted on and on about everything from women's rights to the president. I got my share of public service announcements from Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and I got my post concert e-mail thank you's from the powers that be. There have been some rather dull and disappointing follow up e- mails about growing tomatoes and being sure to watch Leonardo DiCaprio's new film "11th Hour," but not the calls to action one would think. But herein lies the rub. There's a big difference between saying and doing. There's a big difference between signing a pledge with the incentive of seeing your name highlighted on television, and making sure to unplug your cell phone at night to reduce carbon emissions. There's a big difference between rocking out to Shakira, and buying a hybrid vehicle. Life Earth, with all its glitz and glamour, was exactly that: too much glitz and glamour, while the all important message got lost. It's nice to see celebrities try to set an example, but the truth is many of them are about as far from "eco" as you can get, and everyone knows it. What kind of message does this send to today's young people? Fake it until you make it? Even Al Gore himself has been criticized for his luxury mansion which does about as much for the carbon footprint as a pair of stillettos. An excellent Newsweek article "How Green was Live Earth?" by Mathhew Phillips speaks to the "disconnect" between saying and doing. He writes: "...more than a few event staffers were seen carrying around Fiji brand water bottles—an ironic illustration of the vast difference between talking about going green and the difficulty in actually doing it....In the weeks leading up to the event, audience members were sent emails and text messages encouraging them to use mass transportation or to carpool. But the only mass transit available directly to the Meadowlands was New Jersey Transit Authority buses coming from midtown Manhattan. “I would’ve taken the bus, but I wasn’t going to drive all the way into Manhattan just to do it,” said Michael Frank, who drove 30 minutes from his home in Short Hills, New Jersey in his Mercedes-Benz. “That’s the problem with the Meadowlands,” he said. “No trains, no metro stops. You’ve got to drive to get here. You have no choice.”
Next time, I'd like to see an event that doesn't lose itself in the celebrity shuffle, but focuses its message on clear calls to action and yes, raising money, and yes, better follow-up from the messengers. Real change involved doing the hard things, not just the trendy and easy ones. Cute little carbon calculators on the Live Earth home page are not enough to save our planet.