Michael McGuire

After my short spell of being bummed out, I returned to the concert to witness some awesome stuff.  Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. got up and gave a kick-a$$ speech (some clips are included in the video below).  Melissa Etheridge played an awesome set, too.  I grabbed a bite to eat and came back in time for the Dave Matthews Band and Smashing Pumpkins, who also played great sets.

(There was a weird montage of young kids telling us how the planet is endangered and how we need to change the way we live.  Although the spirit of the video was good, it was a little creepy in a Hitler Youth Camp/brainwashing sort of way)

(the stage lights always look cooler when the sun goes down!)

After the Pumpkins, I charged myself with the duty of quenching my thirst before the last two sets.  I went down to the MSN hospitality tent to score one last beer before it closed up its bar - but alas! alack! No more beer was to be found!!! 

Dumbfounded and a bit discouraged, I stood outside the tent kicking a rock (metaphorically speaking) when I just happened to bump into one Mr. Tratt from the MSN/Live Earth PR Team.  He inquired as to whether I had been backstage yet today, and I humbly informed him that I had not! 

He immediately tossed a Live Earth Staff badge over my neck and whisked me off backstage, where I found my way over to the corner of the front row!  I met Mike Hedge there, who had also obtained a photo badge, and soon enough I was down in front of Roger Waters for the second-to-last set of the night! 

(Roger Waters was the creative force behind Pink Floyd's albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall!)

(The ever-resourceful Leslie Gant was already down in the photo section!  That's Alec Baldwin behind her in the blue shirt)

(A giant pig balloon emerged from stage left during a tune from Dark Side)

I fully enjoyed the close proximity to the performers afforded by the staff and photo passes, and got to see Cameron Diaz introduce the Police (who played a few little tunes) and the Police introduce Al Gore and Al Gore say goodnight to all, and to all a goodnight. 

(The Police are playing on stage behind me)

Come on my ride through the better half of the NYC Live Earth Concert by watching the video below!

I realized that if it weren't for my appreciation of beer, the nectar of the gods, I would never have been backstage and so close to the action for the last two sets of the show!  A wise man once said, "Beer:  the cause of and solution to all of life's problems" (Do you know who?  Scroll to end for the answer).

Thanks to my fellow teammates as well as Jordon, Sam from Mr Youth and Marty from Microsoft for helping make the Eco Trip happen.  Thanks to all the great people on both coasts and in between who helped create our adventure by providing such great Green Challenges for us.  And thanks to all of you who have logged onto our site and my blog to keep abreast of our adventures.  Although this seems like the end, it's really just the beginning.  The rest of the adventure is up to you.

*                    *                      *                   *

answer: Homer J. Simpson

As we got off the bus at the Meadowlands, we were sucked into the vortex of Live Earth!  The crowds were gathering, getting funky, and making their way into the venue.

(making out way into Giants Stadium on 07/07/07)

We were fortunate to have access to the MSN hospitality tent (as well we should!) where we were able to stay cool and have a drink and a snack before heading to the nosebleed section of the stadium.  Yes, it's true:  Live Earth is so big, even the Eco Trippers could only score upper deck seating.

(above: the MSN hospitality tent.  Can you say "open bar!" I can! below:  my view from section 323 early in the day.)

Knowing that the show was going last over eight hours, I paced myself and tried not to get too excited too early.  Although I am not an avid hip-hopper, I appreciated the energy Ludacris and Kanye brought to the stage.  Since I play guitar, I admired John Mayer's facility with this classic rock and roll instrument.  Later in the day, Melissa Etheridge would come to the stage and tear it up.

And although the concert was pretty rockin, I felt this nagging feeling that something was wrong with the whole scene...

Click below to join the journey:

Come back soon to reach the peak in Part 3: The Green Lining.

Seven-seven-o-seven was a bit relentless!  Marshana and I made it to do an early morning interview with WABC - channel 7 here in New York.  More than past segments, this one really focused on our "eco tips" to help people reduce their waste and use of pollutants. 

(Above: WABC is a real New York City news room! Below: Marshana waits in the Green Room.  I love that they call it that.)

We brought in a variety of props and talked through them.  First, we displayed the blue tote bags that are quickly becoming America's favorite way to replace plastic shopping bags. 

Second, I told them all about the neat corn plastic (PLA) containers that biodegrade.  To my surprise, the hostess asked me how long they take to decompose.  Also to my surprise, I knew the answer! (in "industrial composting conditions" - 140 deg F + 90% humidity - it takes about 90 days. In your backyard compost pile? I have no idea). 

Lastly, we showed off our collection of "green" household cleaning products.  Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, and Shaklee all make great products that use vegetable-based surfactants rather than petroleum-based.  They are also biodegradable and tend to use natural scents and no dyes.  I highly recommend the first two brands (I use them myself!) but haven't had experience with the third, although it does have a good reputation. Of course, cleaning your floors with warm water, some lemon juice and baking soda does the job, too!

Okay, okay, on with the show:  After a nap back in Queens, I took our good old public transportation system into town to meet my colleagues so we could get underway with the concert festivities.  But then, this video can speak for me:

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Live Earth experience.  It gets better and worse and better again.

Live Earth Concert blog and three part video series from my personal footage of the event coming soon...

Check back throughout the week for updates!

Peace,

MM

I think a lot of us understand "doing the right thing" cerebrally but sometimes lack a direct connection to the value of our lives.  There's an obese alcoholic man down the block who seems to be standing in the same place panhandling every time I walk down Queens Blvd.  I don't have any animosity toward him but I don't feel that he's using his gift of life very well.

I went out for a run Thursday evening after our green challenge.  It was raining but still hot outside.  Although I was initially hesitant to go and get wet, I immediately changed my mind once I set foot to the pavement.  I can't express what a glorious, invigorating sensation it was to know run through the streets and to be alive and to feel the big drops of rain pelting on my hot skin.  I was totally in the moment and felt a heightened state of awareness for those twenty minutes or so.  I felt like I would really miss that physical sensation after I die.

Sometimes it hits me how insignificant one human life is in the scope of the universe.  One human's 80 years in comparison to the 4.5 billion years our planet has been around is like a drop of water in the ocean.  Yet sometimes a single person can destroy countless others (Hitler), inspire the world (Gandhi), or discover a breakthrough that helps all of humanity (Jonas Salk).  So even though a lot of people (sometimes myself included) feel like their efforts don't matter, we cannot write off any single person.  Never underestimate the impact one person with a vision can have on the world.

We've all been given time on this planet - some more than others.  It's up to each individual to decide how to use it despite the economic, racial or educational cards we've been dealt.  For me, I feel best - the most "whole" - when I live according to my convictions.  And having run through Mother Earth's rain, I know I need to keep that rain pure and our earth healthy, so I'll keep doing my damndest to tread as lightly as possibly and convince others to do the same.

And if you're reading this and not feeling inspired to live bigger, please ask yourself this: If I die tomorrow can I look back and be proud of what I did with my time on Earth?

I hope the answer is yes.  If the answer is no, that's great too.  There's time to turn it around.  But that time is now.  Carpe diem.