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At least the organizers of the event kept the concerts "green". According to an Associated Press (AP) article, they issued guidelines that included:

• all electricity that powers the shows will be from renewable sources;


• concessionaires will be encouraged to use suppliers of biodegradable plastics;


• waste will be minimized through recycling and reuse;


• venue offices will use as little energy as possible;


• production lighting will include the use of LED light bulbs;


• staff and artist air travel will be offset through carbon credits;


• ground travel will be by hybrid or high-efficiency vehicles where possible.

Pretty impressive, they practiced what they preached at least at the concert venues. But we all know about the excesses of some stars (stretch limos, bright lights at concerts, etc.) so it would be interesting to see if the artists who appeared at the event would continue what they started at their future events.



By visiting the Live Earth website, the folks watching at home can become aware of how much impact their waste can have on the environment. This is done by using the the “Live Impact” carbon calculator. This feature enables people to calculate their individual carbon imprint.

In another article recapping the concerts, the AP reports that at the Giants Stadium part of the shows, former American vice-president Al Gore asked the crowd to commit themselves to a seven-point pledge to combat global warming. “I would like to ask each and every one of you to answer the call,” Gore said. As you may know, Gore has been deeply involved in spreading the concerns of global warming in recent years and he even won an Academy award for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

As an observer who's seen the gallantry of the original Live Aid efforts twenty-two years ago, I must say that it eventually boils down to how far the people who attended or watched the concerts will take the message. The organizers have spared no resource in trying to get the message across to at least two billion people. It's up to the good folks now to educate themselves further on this global danger and start practicing environment-friendly habits.

In the end, the performers are just the messengers. Hopefully the concert-goers were not too caught up with the messengers than with the message.

By the way, in one of the AP articles we referenced above, they mentioned that at the London show, the stadium’s nonessential lights were turned off before Madonna came onstage. Apparently she was the closer of the London show and she even wrote a special song just for the Live Earth event entitled "Hey You". It would seem that she sang in the dark with the only lights coming from the glow of exit lights and the stage video screen as well as the flashes of cameras. This got me really curious. I thought that this created a pretty unique effect. It didn't take long to find a video of the London finale featuring Madonna. Love her or hate her, it was a moving performance. Just watch: