Earth Day 2008 Concerts

Earth Day 2008 Concerts

April 2008  - It rained and it poured, but 
thousands of people enjoyed Earth Day on the Washington Mall anyway. A few 
performers were heard before concert organizers pulled the plugs as 
thunderstorms threatened. 
Vocal problems forced planned headliner American Idol Jordin Sparks to 
cancel her appearance at the Earth Day Network and Green Apple Festival 
concert on the Mall, but she would not have been able to sing anyway as 
organizers shut the concert down at about 4 pm. Scheduled headliners The 
Roots did not get to play their set. 
Elsewhere around the country, in New York the festival concert went off as 
planned and thousands had fun in Central Park. On the grounds of the 
Central Park Bandshell, art tables were set up with free blank canvas and 
supplies, so people could paint their vision and bring the completed work 
back to artist Paul Kostabi to assemble in a 500 foot mural, billed as the 
world's longest eco-mural. 
But two tree-planters participating in a canoe launch into the Harlem 
River were arrested Saturday afternoon for trespassing on an abandoned 
stretch of pier near 135th Street. 
Ten people working with Friends of Brook Park, a community organization 
revitalizing green space in the South Bronx, tried to launch the canoes, 
loaded with shovels and young trees. The activists were planning to paddle 
upriver to join an Earth Day celebration when police arrived and made the 
arrests, citing tightened security due to the arrival in New York City of 
Pope Benedict XVI. 

At Grand Central Terminal in New York, the week-long celebration organized 
by Earth Day New York, consisting of The Giant Earth Images, and the 
two-day EarthFair is in full swing with booths featuring organic and 
natural products and fun activities for the kids. 
Toyota brought its nationwide exhibit, Highway to the Future: Mobile 
Hybrid Experience, to the EarthFair. The walkthrough trailer features a 
Prius driving simulator to help visitors learn about hybrid technology and 
alternative fuels even as gas prices soar above $3.50 a gallon. 
At Fair Park in Dallas, the concert went ahead as planned in the spring 
sunshine, although organizers did not get the 20,000 people they had hoped 
to attract - fewer than 500 people showed up for the event. 
At the Santa Monica Pier, Ziggy Marley, Taj Mahal and Juliette Lewis and 
the Licks played to a joyous crowd of thousands in the California sun. 
Elsewhere around the country, people hugged trees, planted trees, made 
art, took photos and posted them on the Internet, went for hikes, took 
part in local cleanups and participated in walks and runs. 
In Des Moines, Iowa, more than 70 hybrid vehicle drivers competed for the 
best miles per gallon rating on a 25-mile course in 45 minutes. Each 
driver paid a $10 entry fee to offset the carbon footprint of the event. 
The winning car, a Toyota Prius hybrid, recorded 79.1 miles to the gallon. 

About a dozen people participated in the Des Moines Walk for Climate 
Justice, one of Oxfam America's Earth Day celebrations in 10 U.S. cities. 
The Walk represents the hardships that climate change creates for people 
in vulnerable communities. 

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, thousands listened to local musicians, learned 
about recycling and other Earth-friendly activities, and took part in an 
All Species Parade. Children and adults in costume and walking floats 
celebrated the Earth with Mayor Melvin "Kip" Holden as Grand Marshal. 
Today, more people are concerned about the environment but Gallup's annual 
environment poll finds just 28 percent of Americans surveyed say they have 
made "major changes" in their lifestyles to protect the environment. 
Fifty-five percent have made "minor changes." 
The environment ranks in the middle of a list of "problems facing the 
country" that Americans worry about. Forty percent told pollsters they 
worry "a great deal" about "the quality of the environment," ranking far 
below the 60 percent who worry about the economy and the 58 percent who 
worry about the availability and affordability of healthcare. 
Gallup reports that, 34 percent of women but only 21 percent of men say 
they have made major changes in their lifestyles. Also, 32 percent of 
Democrats and 31 percent of independents have altered their habits in an 
environmentally friendly manner, but only 20 percent of Republicans have. 
Earth Day falls on April 22 each year, marking the anniversary of the 
birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Earth Day founder 
Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first 
nationwide environmental protest "to shake up the political establishment 
and force this issue onto the national agenda. "It was a gamble," he 
recalls, "but it worked." 

Many Earth Day events are planned for later this week and next weekend, 
but some organizations wanted to get a jump on the day with their 
announcements. 
The National Association of Manufacturers, NAM, and U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency today announced an agreement to help improve the energy 
efficiency of U.S. manufacturers, who use nearly a third of the energy in 
the United States. 
"Under the agreement, the NAM will challenge its member companies to 
reduce energy use across all operations by 10 percent or more," said NAM 
President and CEO John Engler. 
"If the manufacturing industry reduced its energy use by 10 percent, 
manufacturers would save nearly $10.4 billion and enough energy to power 
nearly 10 million American homes for one year," he said. "As we celebrate 
Earth Day this week, let's remember that building upon U.S. manufacturers' 
leadership in energy efficiency makes good economic and business sense." 
EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said, "Environmental responsibility is 
everyone's responsibility - and today I'm pleased the NAM is taking this 
motto to heart. By making smart energy choices, U.S. manufacturers are 
helping improve our nation's energy and environmental outlook.” 
The EPA will support NAM members in developing and refining company-wide 
energy management programs, sharing best energy management practices, 
providing training and recognizing the energy efficiency achievements of 
NAM members. 
On the government side, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said addressing climate 
change is the most important thing Americans can do in support of Earth 
Day. 
"Almost four decades ago, a group of visionary Americans energized the 
environmental movement, and indeed our nation, by dedicating a day to this 
ideal: we must preserve God's creation, our planet, for the generations to 
come," she said. 
"On this Earth Day, the greatest challenge facing the United States, and 
indeed our world, is climate change. Its effects already can be seen in 
severe weather, coastal flooding, deadly heat waves, and spreading 
infectious diseases. 
"That is why I made achieving energy independence and reducing global 
warming flagship issues of the New Direction Congress. We enacted 
bipartisan legislation that increases the efficiency of appliances and 
lighting and boosts fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks for the 
first time in 32 years. This increase in fuel efficiency alone will reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to taking 28 million cars 
off the road in the year 2020 alone." 
"The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, 'To minister to the needs of 
God's creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor 
the God who made us,'" Pelosi preached. "On this Earth Day, and every day, 
let us honor the Earth and our future generations with a commitment to 
fight climate change."

---