Live Earth’s partnership with Dow hypocritical, harmful
by Adam Estroff
Many of you probably remember the Live Earth concerts of a few years ago. Sponsored by Al Gore and various other celebrities, this series of massive concerts on nearly every continent was supposed to galvanize a new generation into tackling climate change. Ironically, the carbon footprint and waste of these events was staggering, in stark contrast to the message of conservation and reduction of use.
Continuing on from this first event, Live Earth has engaged in many other corporate sponsored events that rely on merchandise, flashy advertising and consumption in order to send a message of conservation. This is depressing, because Live Earth receives a large amount of coverage in the mainstream media due to their connection with Al Gore and various other celebrities, yet what really has come out of their movement? Commercials, waste and drunk youth at concerts (which is not the same as an active population). This is no way to start a movement, and if this all were not bad enough, Live Earth’s most recent selling out of the environmental movement clearly takes these hypocrites to new lows.
Live Earth has turned to the Dow Chemical Corporation to sponsor a series of runs for water across the globe. They feel that by making largely middle and upper class white people participate in a 6k run (the distance they believe many walk for water) that they will feel the pain of impoverished people around the globe. Where exactly will this empathy come? Probably somewhere between the brightly colored sports drinks handed out along the trail and expensive, sweatshop produced shoes hitting the pavement.
Appealing to wealthy Americans is not on its own hypocritical; the concerts and runs will undoubtedly raise a large amount of money for clean water and conservation causes, something that resonates deeply with me on a personal level from growing up in the American West. Yet I don’t think that ANY ends justify taking this money from Dow.
Dow of the 500,000 with birth defects due to Agent Orange.
Dow of Dioxin poisoning throughout the U.S.
Dow of the 150,000 drinking poisoned water in Bhopal.
Dow of the polluted watershed that extends for over 20 square miles around Midland, Mich.
Live Earth should be ashamed that they took this money. It’s like taking money from arsonists for fire prevention. Money from a company that claims to value the human element yet is responsible for cone headed children and contaminated water across the globe simply defies logic. Halliburton would have been a less hypocritical choice; they don’t directly pollute water the way Dow does.
Live Earth should return the money and find a new sponsor. They and their affiliated organizations should also do a little soul searching and see if their Madison Avenue advertising firms and high-paid executives are the way to truly create a grassroots movement. Shame on you Al Gore, shame on the musicians participating and shame on the runners whose entry fees legitimate Dow’s attempt to cast itself as an ethical company. Because when this movement actually happens, it will not be run by hypocrites.
Adam Estroff is a senior history major an can be reached at amestro06@earlham.edu
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