Live Earth Special Airs Friday

April 21st, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Over the last month, I’ve been updating you on the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, a series of 6K runs/walks held last Sunday in 150 cities across 50 countries to help combat the global water crisis.

If you couldn’t attend any of the events, you can watch a 1-hour special at 7 p.m. Friday (ET/PT) on Bravo.

The program will feature discussions with musician/activist Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) and water-crisis expert Alexandra Cousteau, a look at solutions being implemented, and concert performances by Collective Soul, Estelle, Melissa Etheridge, John Legend, Rob Thomas and The Roots.

“We think this special, which airs as part of NBC Universal’s Green Is Universal initiative, will resonate with Bravo’s eco-conscious viewers, and through heightened awareness comes change,” says Frances Berwick, Bravo Media’s general manager and executive vice president.

“The goal of this TV special is to engage audiences in the challenges and solutions associated with the global water crisis in an educational and entertaining format,” adds Live Earth Founder Kevin Wall. “Bravo is the ideal network for this program because its viewers are very tuned in to environmental and social issues.”

Live Earth was built on the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: The Environment in Crisis: An Environmental Reader from Dollars & Sense

Photos: John Michael Maas, Global Water Challenge

Tags: celebrities, Collective Soul, environment, Estelle, John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, Rob Thomas, The Roots, TV, water crisis
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New Artists Signed for Sunday’s Live Earth Concerts

April 14th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Recording artists Collective Soul, Sam Moore, John Legend and The Roots are the latest additions to the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, a series of 6K runs to be held Sunday to help combat the global water crisis.

Multiplatinum-selling Collective Soul, who recently released the eponymous Collective Soul, will perform at the Chicago event, to be held in Montrose Harbor.

“I’m a longtime environmental advocate and believe strongly that it is our duty as a society and as individuals to preserve our planet and its resources,” says guitarist Dean Roland. “The global water crisis is an environmental issue that affects nearly 1 billion people, and the Chicago community can help raise awareness and money to help address it.”

Joining the band is multiplatinum-selling Rock & Roll Hall of Fame “Soul Man” Sam Moore, who served as the inspiration for The Blues Brothers.

“I am honored to have been asked to lend my talent to an event that is striving to bring clean, safe drinking water to the women and children of the world, many of whom have to walk a mile or two each way or more daily to a water station just to keep themselves and their families alive,” Moore says. “I love Chicago. It’s one of my favorite cities. My wife’s a home girl, and we’re both hoping our friends and family who are here together with every fan of mine—fans of The Blues Brothers and Sam & Dave—turn out for the walk on April 18 so we can make a real difference and change lives for the better for so many.”

Live in New York: John Legend, The Roots

Two-time GRAMMY Award winners The Roots (Jimmy Fallon’s house band) and six-time GRAMMY-winning singer John Legend will perform live at the New York event, to be held in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

“We are thrilled to be participating in this important event to bring clean, safe drinking water to the women and children around the world walking 6 kilometers every day to sustain their families,” says The Roots’ Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. “We encourage the New York community to come out on April 18 because together we can make a difference in the lives of so many.”

“As an alumnus of the Live Earth concerts in 2007, I am proud to take part in another global event aimed at identifying solutions for critical environmental issues, such as the global water crisis,” adds Legend. “I believe music has the power to bring people together in pursuit of common goals, and in this case that is raising awareness and money to help solve the global water crisis.”

Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta

Country star Dierks Bentley will appear at the Minneapolis event, Melissa Etheridge will perform in Los Angeles, and Rob Thomas will play in Atlanta.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve Our Most Precious Resource

Tags: Chicago, Collective Soul, Dierks Bentley, environment, events, John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, New York, Rob Thomas, Sam Moore, The Roots, water crisis
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Singer Dierks Bentley Joins Fight for Clean Water

March 30th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Multiplatinum-selling country music star Dierks Bentley has joined the roster of celebrities who will perform at the Dow Live Earth Run for Water—a global series of 6K runs/walks that will raise money April 18 to combat the international water crisis.

As Live Earth notes:

“Water is a basic human right, and yet nearly 1 billion people on this planet don’t have access to it. Every day, thousands of women and children die due to lack of adequate drinking water. Eighty-eight percent of diarrheal cases worldwide are linked to inadequate and unsafe water. These cases result in 1.5 million annual deaths, mostly among children under the age of 5. In these areas, women and children are forced to walk 6 km (3.7 miles) each day to secure water that is likely unsuitable for drinking.”

“I’m looking forward to this event and helping to bring attention to the global water crisis,” says Bentley, who will perform at the Minneapolis event. His new CD, Up on the Ridge, will be released June 10.

“The runs/walks that are happening on the same day across the world are a great reminder that we are all connected and that we are all responsible for helping each other,” Bentley says. “I’ve always loved playing in Minneapolis—lots of country music fans there—and I’m excited to be part of this historic event.”

“There’s no question that the global water crisis is one of colossal proportions,” says activist Alexandra Cousteau, founder of Blue Legacy International. “But the difference between this crisis and so many others is that there are solutions now to reverse it—and these solutions begin when we, as a generation, stand up and take part during a tipping-point event like the Dow Live Earth Run for Water. On April 18, the world community needs to rally together, take ownership of the critical issue of water and empower each other to work daily toward ending this crisis.”

You can register for the walks/runs in your area by clicking here. If no event is planned for your area, you can organize your own community “Friends of Live Earth” event by clicking here.

Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action.

Tags: environment, events, Minneapolis, music, water crisis
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World Water Day

March 20th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Monday is World Water Day, an international observance organized by the United Nations. This year’s theme is Clean Water for a Healthy World.

Sadly, many of us take water for granted. We cannot explain how the water coming out of our faucets makes its way into our homes. We look at local rivers and assume they’ll always look the same.

Water is often incorrectly perceived as an infinite resource. By 2015, however, many U.S. states may face water shortages and a consequent loss of ecosystems that can affect daily life.

Conservation is critical, as we depend on water for drinking, watering crops, maintaining the oceans’ fish supply, lighting our homes and transportation. Organizations like The Nature Conservancy sponsor hundreds of river and lake projects throughout the United States, working to ensure our drinking water is clean and safe.

This year, the Conservancy has teamed with Crystal Light to support five local river and lake projects:

Colorado River. Touching seven states, the river has been affected by rapid population growth in the west.
Great Lakes Basin. Holding 20% of the fresh surface water on Earth, the Great Lakes’ resources are in trouble—a result of climate change, water development and use.
Meramec River. Part of the Mississippi River, the Meramec supplies drinking water to more than 15 million people and serves as a habitat for thousands of fish, birds and other wildlife. Over time, it has been threatened by excessive use and is one of the Conservancy’s highest priorities.
Potomac River. The Potomac provides drinking water to 4.3 million people in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Rapid population growth and water management systems in several communities have impacted it.
Southern rivers. Southern rivers and streams, such as the Pascagoula River in Mississippi and the Flint River in Georgia, span all 15 southern states. Recent droughts and increasing water demands have threatened these important bodies of water.

The Conservancy is seeking volunteers to help with these and other projects. For more information, click here.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What to Do About It

Photo courtesy of ARA

Walk/Run for Clean Water!

March 16th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Help raise money to combat the worldwide water crisis by signing up for the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, a series of 6K runs/walks to be held April 18 in nearly 100 cities across 50 countries.

The distance represents how far women and children in some developing countries must walk to access clean water.

Funds will benefit Global Water Challenge, a coalition of nonprofit organizations that bring clean, safe drinking water to millions of people worldwide. Beneficiaries include innovative water reclamation projects in Haiti, Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

Singers Melissa Etheridge and Rob Thomas will perform at events in Los Angeles and Atlanta, respectively.

“Through the commitment of these artists, we are able to connect with a wider audience on this important issue and ultimately encourage them to participate in this movement to bring clean, safe drinking water to the nearly 1 billion people on this planet in need,” says Live Earth Founder Kevin Wall.

U.S. residents can enter a sweepstakes to win a free trip to the Los Angeles or New York event by setting up a fundraising page or making a direct donation in any amount to Global Water Challenge. On April 9, one winner will be randomly selected to receive free roundtrip airfare for two and a 2-night hotel stay in either Los Angeles or New York, based on closest proximity.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water