"The Devil's Odometer"

Here's a photo I took of my Activa's odometer:

Look closely at the numbers...



Closer...







(Yes, I stopped in the middle of the road in the middle of the night to take that picture. Right after a black cat crossed my path.)

"Earth? Live?"

A concert to prevent global warming? Heh.

Ok first off, does global warming even exist? Second, even if it does, is it really a bad thing? Third, even if it does exist and is indeed a bad thing, is it actually being caused (or accelerated) by human activities? Or is it just a natural cycle which would have occured any way, with or without human intervention?

We do not yet have absolutely conclusive answers to the above questions, and hence to me this whole 'save the environment NOW!' business seems to be just propaganda. Don't the organizers see the irony in organizing massive concerts to raise awareness for reducing consumption?

The concerts are going to be attended by thousands of people [who will most likely arrive there by car, hence consuming fuel]

The concerts are going to be witnessed by billions (yes, billions -- an expected audience of over 2 billion people) on TV, radio and over the internet [which will consume electricity]

The concerts are going to need lighting and sound [and again, consume electricity]

Food and drinks at the venues [which will produce massive amounts of waste -- hopefully they will at least not be using plastics!]

Private jets for the artists to fly to and from the venue [!!!]

Now from the Live Earth website, here are some choice solutions offered by them to avert this supposed "crisis" (Note: I am not making these up -- check them for yourself at http://liveearth.org/crisis_solutions.php) 

Cool Threads
Wash your clothes in cold water and save yourself up to $400 a year in bills. [Except that washing in cold water will consume more detergent, which uses petroleum products in its manufacture]

Phone It In
For every 3 meetings held by video conference instead of flying cross-country, it would be like taking a car completely off the road for an entire year. [I wonder for how long that same hypothetical car would be kept off the road if the Live Earth concerts weren't held at all]

Green Your Diet
The international meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. [What about the oxygen that will not be replenished by the plants which will be eaten by the animals which will not have been eaten by humans?]

Towel Off
A 100-guestroom hotel can save an estimated 72,000 gallons of water a year through a linen and towel reuse program. You don’t wash your towel everyday at home, do you? [haha... nice one. Wait, what? You're serious?]

Cover your tracks
By purchasing digital music online you can help conserve the oil consumed in transporting CDs to and from the store. [By downloading them off P2P I will save money as well ;)] [Wait wait RIAA I was just kidding!]

In summary, whether or not global warming is a real threat, and whether or not organizing concerts is the best way to spread awareness, there is no doubt that a little moderation in everything will not hurt you. Some of the suggestions like using less electricity and less fuel, even if you don't care about the environment, will atleast save you some of your hard earned money. Some of the more extreme suggestions (Don't wash your towels, share a bath with someone) should probably taken with a grain of salt.

My advice to you on the live earth concerts: Don't believe all the hype, just enjoy the music.

Oh, and a nice job on the remix of A Brick in the Wall.

"Live Earth"

On 7/7/07 a series of pop and rock concerts will be held across 8 cities to spread awareness about the global warming crisis. Millions, even billions, of people are expected to tune in on their TVs and radios (in addition to the tens of thousands already attending the shows themselves) and be a part of this event.

There are literally hundreds of artists going to be performing; so whatever your taste in music, you're likely to find something you like. But the music is just a medium, "save the environment" is the message. You must do your bit to save our environment.

Use less fuel -- use public transport, ride a bicycle, carpool. Use less electricity -- turn off lights and fans when not in use, replace bulbs by Compact Fluoroscent Lamps. Stop using plastics. Reduce the use of water heaters, air conditioners and room heaters. Save trees -- use less paper.

These are only a few of the things you can do. These little things can make a big difference. Remember the 4 R's -- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Restore.

Additional resources:

[1] The Live Earth website [http://www.liveearth.org]

[2] "Proper Education" - a remix of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" by DJ Eric Prydz. A music video with a deep environmental message [http://www.green.tv/eric_prydz_int]