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.

                             - Michael M. McGuire, Eco Trip 2007

*                    *                      *                   *

answer: Homer J. Simpson

On Friday 7/6/07 the Eco Trip team hit the streets in NYC for its final Green Challenge:  presenting our eight environmental truths and passing out Eco Tips to New Yorkers. 

(Left: Marshana found a tasty local peach; Right: McGuire munches on a juicy tomato from NJ)

We stationed ourselves in Union Square, where there was a farmer's market in progress offering lots of locally grown and organic goods.  Marshana and McGuire snatched up some delicious produce to power up their afternoon.

(Left: The sign in the foreground reads "Americans represent only 5% of the world's population but generate 30% of the garbage." Right: Leslie talks tips - eco tips, that is!)

While spreading the word about Live Earth, we were visited by a crew from Good Morning America!  They spent about half an hour with us, shooting footage and interviewing us about the eco trip, Live Earth, and our perspectives. 

(Above: McGuire chats with the crew from GMA; Left: A young man named Omri sports his ideals)

Union Square was a great location for the event because it's busy and the farmer's market drew a lot of open-minded people to the area. 

After a few hours of toiling and eco tripping in the hot sun, we broke up and later reconvened for dinner at Tao, an upscale Asian bistro in mid-town.  We dined with representatives from Microsoft, Mr. Youth, and the winners of the Live Earth Battle of the Bands, The Walkup, who will play at Brooklyn's Union Pool on Sat. 7/21.

(Left: A 58th Street sunset; Right: The eco babes are ready for a night on the town)

The ambience at Tao was a cross between a club and a restaurant. They had a DJ and live saxophonist playing, the crowd seemed on the younger, hipper side, and the food was good.  We were all delighted to enjoy a night out on the town after our month long journey. 

(Upper Left: A giant gold Buddha statue watches over diners at Tao; Upper Right: Leslie and Hedge relaxing at the table.  Lower Left: Sean and Alex from the band The Walkup are happy to be treated to dinner; Lower Right: Adam [MSN/Live Earth] won at least $4 from Frank [Mr. Youth] over whether a guy at the next table would get a phone number from the table of cute girls [unfortunately no photo of the girls is available at this time]. )

The last stop of the evening was at a club on 10th avenue.  They must have know the Eco Trip team was coming because we got to skip ahead of the long line behind the velvet ropes.  

(Marshana, Marty, Alex and Sean in our corner booth at said club)

We partied it up NYC style, but headed out before too long because we had to rest up for the real party - LIVE EARTH!!!

We have been traveling for about 6 weeks. We have made it to New York. Here is a quick recap of our adventures. Come back soon for more updates from Live Earth!!!  www.liveearth.msn.com 

Who is in New York? We are!!!! Stay tuned for updated blog.

We had a great time in Washington DC. While there we got some great press. More to come.

posted by McGuire check here for his post.

Hot Day on this Warming Live Earth

Our final and biggest day in DC was Monday, July 2.  We kicked off the day by visiting the local Fox News station (yes, even Fox news cares!). 

(L: a sticker I saw on a newspaper stand; below: I and Leslie prepare to chat green living with reporter Allison.)

Leslie and I gave a short interview that actually produced a fan who tracked us down at the National Mall where we were displaying posters with eight "shocking environmental facts" (video coming soon).

It was a very hot day (especially after biking several miles to get there), but we tried our best to chat up the tourists and locals and inform them about Live Earth.

NEXT: LIVE EARTH CONCERT in NEW YORK CITY!!!

posted by Michael McGuire

Saturday was a long busy exciting day.  Marshana and I got up before 5am to head to a live interview with DC's local CBS station, 9 News Now.  They have a really nice studio run by pleasant, helpful people. 

(above; 9 News Now anchors live and on the air! below: Peggy, me and Marsha - Marsh - "MarshANA" after our interview)

After the interview, I headed to the metro (DC's subway) and went downtown to grab some breakfast before our second interview of the day at the National Press Club.  Leslie and I went there to do a satellite interview for The Weather Channel, which was recorded in Atlanta via satellite and will be shown on the air soon.

(photos: 1) Nat'l Press Club lobby banner; 2) Leslie gets wired up; 3) They have a press room named after Ed Murrow, the subject of the Oscar-nominated film "Good Night, and Good Luck starring David Strathairn)

After stopping back at Union Station to see if Amtrak had a box I left on the train (I lost my checkbook and all my receipts!  boo!), I again took the metro  - which by the way is immaculate, comfortable and easy to use - out to meet the gang at the East of the River Eco Expo. 

(Mike's Metro Series - UL: The DC underground; UR: I hear the train-a-comin'; LL: You could eat off that floor! LR: Coushy seats, too)

The Expo was organized by the Sierra Club and featured booths with around 40 different clubs, businesses, city agencies and NGOs.  See pics and captions below to learn about the interesting people I met and their activities:

Ed Bruske represents D.C. Urban Gardeners, a citizens' group helping to beautify and educate the community in a sustainable way.

Nina Albert helps ensure a cleaner Anacostia River (and hence a cleaner Chesapeake Bay by working with the Anacostia Waterfront Corp to develop real estate under strict environmental guidelines.

Breana Behrens works with ForestEthics to put the pressure on companies to use recycled paper for their catalogues.  And with a smile like hers, who could refuse? Fun fact: The catalogue industry sends 20 BILLION cataloges/year, and 97% are thrown away!  Gee whiz!

The ladies on the left work with the Dept of Housing and Community Development to help people acquire housing.  Their developments are built to be efficient and eco-friendly.

Claudia and Norma will GREEN - CLEAN YOUR HOME using a variety of environmentally - friendly cleaning products.  Check them out at www.ecocleandc.com to learn about and book their services.

Judging by all the neat stuff we encountered at the expo, it is easy to see that 1) there is a lot of eco-activity going on in Washington, and 2) there are lots of opportunities to GET INVOLVED.  Whether your skill is gardening, computers, banking, real estate, or law, there are many ways to apply your talent in helping to make DC a greener, healthier place.  Look around and get involved!

By the time we headed back across the city to Georgetown, we were all pretty wiped out despite the cheerful smiles the girls display below.

Leslie’s highlights from CLEVELAND, plus links and trivia!

  Around 6 AM Tuesday (6/26) the Eco Trippers and I rolled into our 8^th city…CLEVELAND, Ohio!

Cleveland has been a great city to visit…I'll admit I even underestimated what this city has to offer. Little did I know Cleveland is nicknamed “The Comeback City” and now I can see why. I anticipated Cleveland to feel somewhat dirty and industrial (the way I thought Chicago would’ve been), but again, I was caught by surprise!

 The downtown had a unique combination of charming storefronts & restaurants with a backdrop of modern skyscrapers, and one of the first things I noticed was how CLEAN the streets were! Right off the bat I felt safe there.  In fact, within 30 minutes of us arriving to the train station and unloading our stuff, I was off riding my bike....Because the streets were so deserted, Hedge, McGuire and I opted to cycle to our hotel rather than take a cab there with Marshana and the luggage. 

I figured the roads were empty because it was so early in the morning, but throughout our stay in Cleveland I never really saw any congestion. At times it felt almost as desolate as Salt Lake City, but this made biking around a breeze. Because I felt safe riding at nearly any time (day or night), that became my sole mode of transportation. Although they were available, I never had to ride a bus or cab –even to and from service projects!

As for the people, I found Clevelanders to be very engaging. The first night I was at a café downtown (hoping to catch up on work) and I overheard some folks debating about environmental issues. At one point I joined their conversation and spent the rest of the evening chatting with the friendly (and lively) locals!

One of the main highlights of the trip was handing out reusable totes for people to bring to the store (as an alternative to having their groceries bagged in paper or plastic sacks). The Eco Trippers and I headed to Tower City Center (a nearby mall) and were planning to spend several hours there passing out the goods. But before we had a chance to get settled and set up, crowds began to swarm around the boxes!...It was FREEBIE FRENZY. Within an hour we had given away nearly 500 bags, and emptied our entire box of organic T-shirts, too!

Another fun outing was checking out the vibrant and flavorful Westside Market. I enjoyed interacting with the vendors, and I even got to meet the aunt of my college roommate Jacki (a Cleveland native)!  She had a bakery stand…yummm. It was neat to see people of all ages in the open-air market browsing and haggling for the best picks.  I must say the only letdown was finding out the majority of fruits, veggies, dairy and meat products were imported… not locally grown! 

In terms of its eco-friendliness, Cleveland is similar to Chicago by offering drop-off sites for locals to recycle their waste. As of now there are 32 public drop-off sites throughout the city, and they accept ALL materials (meaning you don’t have to sort & bundle your trash).

To find out more about where to recycle in Cleveland, click here. You’ll also find more environmental resources by clicking here. And, if you live in Cleveland and want to know how and what to recycle, click here.

Finally, here are some fun facts about Cleveland, also known as the “City of Bridges” Cleveland is famous for its appreciation of sports, arts and entertainment. Indeed, every time I rode by the stadium there were crowds lining the streets eager to catch a game,  and there was always a hub of people waiting to check out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (though I never got a chance to visit it!). 

 One thing I was particularly impressed with was Lake Erie. I knew it would be large, but I wasn’t picturing it to look like an ocean! Standing along the water’s edge I could not see a single piece of land in the distance, not even miles and miles away...

Little known facts about Cleveland:

Famous Clevelanders include Drew Carey, Paul Newman, Halle Berry, Phil Donahue, Henry Mancini and Arsenio Hall. The city is also best known for: The Browns, The Indians, and the Cavaliers, Playhouse Square, The Cleveland Orchestra and The Cleveland Clinic.

Other eco-friendly sites related to Cleveland:

Clean Air Conservancy: www.cleanairconservancy.org / Cleveland Green Building Coalition: www.clevelandgbc.org / EcoCity of Cleveland: www.ecocitycleveland.org / The Environmental Fund for Ohio: www.efohio.org / Environment Health Watch: www.ehw.org / NOACA: www.noaca.org

posted by Michael McGuire check out his post about the day HERE

Hedge and McGuire rode out to Ohio City (the west part of Cleveland and found EcoCity Cleveland, a non-profit environmental think tank and public outreach organization. 

We met its web editor, Marc Lefkowitz, as well executive director, David Beach.  

(left: Marc and McGuire check out the rooftop garden; below: Hedge chats it up with Mr. Beach)

Marc shared some time showing us around their green building (which houses several other environmental non-profits) and talking to us about EcoCity Cleveland's initiatives.

ECC disseminates its message through all areas of life in the region, from the arts to transportation.  Check out their online community, Green City, Blue Lake to read their blog, follow links to their network of local organizations, and check out their event calendar for ways to get involved in community activities. 

(a rooftop solar array [left] and geothermal cooling system [right] are two of the building's green features)

The next day's challenge was to promote REUSABLE shopping bags. 

We were stoked when the Clevelanders near the Tower City Center snatched up all our Eco Trip tote bags.  We made sure to impress upon them the need to reuse bags when they shop.  Incidentally, Melissa and I bring our own bags when we go grocery shopping and it is great!  Not only do you spare yourself a closet full of wimpy plastic bags, but you set an example for other shoppers and the store workers, too.

(Left: It's a carry-all!! It's European!  Right: Swarmed by the masses!)

They come from a tradition of family run building suppliers and are a leader for green building supplies in the Chicago area.Owner Joe Silver showing us his featured article about his store and took his time to give us the grand tour.  He and his partner work to educate the public about the benefits of building green and then provide healthy alternatives to conventional materials.

As a new father, Joe is especially motivated to reduce the toxicity of his home by using low-VOC paint, fermaldehyde-free cabinetry, and biodegradable cleaning products.

The Eco Trippers dig his Eco vibe.  Keep on the lookout for their upcoming feature article in Entrepreneur Magazine!

Check out their site at www.greenmakersupply.com

We visited the plant in Janesville.

Blog posting soon