Did You Experience Live Earth?

Saturday was an incredible day in the fight to wake up the planet’s inhabitants to the urgency of global warming. In addition to the concert attendees at the multiple events, millions of people from around the world tuned in to Live Earth, including 10 million concurrent viewers via msn.com – making Live Earth the most simultaneously-viewed concert ever. It was estimated that 2 billion people were exposed to Live Earth in some way or another.

I started the morning in Washington, D.C., where I had the opportunity to witness from afar a completely packed out Live Earth concert at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Former Vice President Al Gore kicked off Live Earth in America, appropriately in front of the U.S. Capitol, in spite of political detractors who attempted to stifle free-speech by preventing a Washington venue by denying Al Gore, a former Vice President, a public permit to hold this educational and musical event on Capitol grounds.

This smaller event was boldly sponsored by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and was a key part of Live Earth. As Al said in his opening remarks, "the Calvary didn’t come riding to the rescue; the American Indians did." Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and Blues Nation, rocked the house.

After the D.C. event, my wife Clara and I had the privilege of riding the train with Al and Tipper to the Live Earth concert in Giants Stadium. Al was so proud of the Native American community for their courage in standing up for the future by organizing this DC venue and for their undying multi-generational commitment to the stewardship of the earth. Al told me that Live Earth was kicked off in Australia by the aborigines and fittingly in the US by the native people of this land.

Traveling on the Amtrak, we were all watching the events around the world on Al’s Apple computer as Al talked with Kevin Wall who was at the master control room at the London concert. They were making adjustments to the timing of events. The behind-the-scenes coordination between the many events was just amazing to witness as one performer finished in New York and transitioned to a London performance on giant screens in New York.

The energy in Giants Stadium was awesome. I was touched by so many young people not only enjoying the music but giving an enthusiastic voice of support for creating a bright energy future and for their incredible support for Al Gore’s leadership. Everywhere Al went during the day, he was mobbed by young supporters. We need to stand with our youth, since it’s their generation and the ones after them that are going to be most affected by global warming.

The momentum is turning. America is waking up. I saw it on Saturday and I feel it in my gut. Saturday was a great day, a much needed "second step" in a massive wake-up call. While much of Live Earth was the great music, it was also about what we can do together to stop global warming. Go to http://www.algore.com to see the clips, sign the pledge, and learn what steps you can take as we stand together. Read more about the event at http://blogs.nwf.org/globalwarmingnews/. 

Time is short. Let’s not lose the momentum from this incredible event. What will you do today to join the fight to stop global warming?