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I thought that if you had an electric guitar... |
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...it meant that you were a protest singer? Apparently not. Here I am, rockin’ to the music at Live Earth London. Oh no
sorry, that’s Madonna. In truth we didn't have tickets to Wembley, so we
spent the day in Hyde Park instead, watching the time
trials of the Tour de France London.
In fact, I only caught a quick glimpse at
the telly before heading out to dinner.
Unfortunately,
instead of a steamy set by Kasabian, I was just in time for a
less-than-impressive
interview with Duran Duran. They obviously weren't too enthusiastic
about the
‘reason for the season’ and made it clear they were there to
perform, not pontificate. Where are all the protest singers?
The Material Girl has also been derided as no green goddess. She was ranked Live Earth's least green act in a recent
opinion poll, and an investigation has revealed less-than-ethical investments (though to be
fair, the information is not up-to-date and surely if she hasn't
already cleaned up – and greened up – her investment portfolio, she will after this
attention).
I'm not here to jump on the Madge-bashing bandwagon,
so I won't dwell on her fleet of gas-guzzlers or her recent acquisition
of a sixth home in London (on top of homes in Wiltshire, Beverly Hills
and New York). So long as all the light bulbs are eco, what's the
problem? Anyway, it's all change (to eco limos?) as she's now pledged
to reduce her carbon footprint. It should be a breeze for her to come
in under her 2006 totals (over 400 tonnes of carbon for flights alone
during her tour).
Live Earth is part of the SOS Campaign,
and the organisers promise the event will be carbon neutral, with
sustainable lighting, green electricity, biodegradable food boxes,
recycled and composted waste and of course, carbon offsets for the
rather extensive leftovers. I doubt if the Tour de France can make
similar claims. 
The parade on Saturday included dozens of floats and cars and
this morning, we lined up along Upper Ground to
watch the procession whiz past en route to the starting line. After
the cyclists, there were the 20 teams' cars and coaches, and during the
month-long tour, there's also transport for race officials, press and
TV contingents and of course the fans.
 So,
large events have large carbon footprints, but would we be better off
without them? Celebrations and live events bring people together and
create once-in-a-lifetime experiences that must continue (though
definitely in greener fashion). Watching a live musical, sporting or
dramatic performance has a frisson you don't get from a televised
broadcast.
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