Publicity Game: Celebrities – 1, Environment – 0

Posted by Cynical Sarah on July 4, 2007

On Sunday I caught a few of the bands that were playing all day around the world as part of Live Earth. There were some great acts that signed on to Al Gore’s love-the-Earth fest and it was pretty impressive how many people showed up in support of the cause.

Of course, I’m a sucker for music and good causes, so I was initially sucked right into the hype. Here were these stars willing to put their lives on hold for a day to participate in something that was bigger and better than just their own egos.

And it was for a good cause. Environmental issues are something we should be concerned about so we don’t end up causing our own extinction through the trash and byproducts we produce in the name of convenience and modernization.

However, what kind of an impact did these massive concerts themselves make on the environment. How much electricity did it take to put on these concerts with the sound systems and television equipment and lighting and video screens? Or how much trash was produced as people milled around in giant stadiums all day eating and drinking from disposable containers.

I read in one news report that at least Al Gore got the stars to fly on commercial airlines rather than taking their private jets to whichever concert location they’d agreed to play at. That’s great, but what about after that? Are these bands and celebrities really going to continue to stoop to flying commercial now that the concert day is over?

Yes, the cynic in me is still alive and well and it says that even though Al Gore was well-intentioned, perhaps the people that signed on to help weren’t thinking as selflessly about it.

These bands got international exposure. The celebrities who spoke got extra media attention. Sure, some of them may be interested in helping the environment – Leo DiCaprio does drive hybrid cars, but is his impact actually less if he owns a dozen of them instead of just one regular automobile?

My suspicion is that most of the people involved with Live Earth were more interested in the exposure it was giving themselves rather than the exposure they were giving the issue. Perhaps they care just enough to want the rest of us to change our lifestyles to save the Earth so that they can continue their lavish lifestyles without guilt.

A prime example – Madonna. Of course she’s going to be a big name to bring in for the concert, but she also travels with a team of about 100 people, technicians and dancers, to put on her show. She flies in a personal jet and flies her team in from all over the globe. She might as well head to South America and personally bulldoze a rainforest.

As long as she can make huge amounts of money and get away with doing whatever she wants, Madonna isn’t going to change her lifestyle, and neither will any other celebrity.

Al Gore has the right idea. Something needs to be done to shed light on the issue of the Earth’s environmental health, but it needs to be something that feels more sincere and less like a giant publicity stunt.

- Sarah L. Polson

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Tags: celebrities, environment, humor

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