Plan this Saturday, 7/7/07, to check in with Live Earth, a 24-hour concert taking place on 7 continents that will bring together more than 100 musical artists and 2 billion people raising awareness for global warming. TV, radio, and Internet channels will carry the music and messages of Bon Jovi, Shakira, Madonna, The Police, Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews and dozens more top acts, no matter your taste in tunes…
Live Earth is the brainchild of Live 8 executive producer Kevin Wall who is partnering with the Alliance for Climate Protection and its chairman, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. The event marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by Gore's group, and other international organizations to spur individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve the climate crisis.
Official Live Earth concerts will be staged at Giants Stadium in New York (Sold-out, click the line-up); Wembley Stadium in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Maropeng at the Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Steps of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg. One show is free, in Rio de Janeiro on Copacabana Beach. To complete the 7-continent series, a show will be held in Antarctica featuring the indie rock band Nunata, comprised of scientists that already reside there.
An additional event in Kyoto, Japan will honor the meetings on climate change there that produced the Kyoto protocol signed by 169 nations, a treaty imposing mandatory emission limitations for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in developed nations.
Live Earth is implementing new Green Event Guidelines:
- Venues will be designed and constructed by a team of sustainability engineers who will address the environmental and energy management challenges of each concert site.
- Minimum environmental impact with the use of latest state-of-the-art energy efficiency, on-site power generation, and sustainable facilities management practices.
- Edible food wrappers at UK show
More than 7,000 private events have been organized online signing up individuals, groups and communities to host and attend events in support of the Live Earth message. To host or find a registered event in any of the 129 countries and in all 50 states, visit: http://friendsofliveearth.org.
Concerts will be broadcast to a live worldwide audience by MSN at www.LiveEarth.MSN.com.
TV spots in black and white have been distributed featuring Will Ferrell or Cameron Diaz replacing light bulbs and offering other cool green tips. Of course the Live Earth web site has tools to help you measure your carbon footprint and advice on cutting your emissions, like "take a bath with a friend". Check back to GNN-i next week for video reports on the concerts and crowds.