Live Earth at the Nutshell

Potluck for the environment

By FRITZ MAYER

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — As water skiers split the calm waters of the lake across Route 52, and classical musicians tuned up for their performance at Bethel Woods just a few miles away, Upper Delaware Valley residents took time to stop by the Nutshell Arts Center to show their support for the fight against global climate change.

On July 7, former Vice President Al Gore and his partners staged Live Earth, a series of nine concerts on seven continents featuring more than 100 musical acts. In Antarctica, an amateur rock group comprised of five British glacier scientists performed. Other venues stretched around the globe from Sydney, Australia to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and included Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

In Lake Huntington, the residents who came to the free potluck event watched some of the performances on an eight-foot screen, and heard Gore’s message that we need to achieve a 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions by the year 2050.

Through extensive use of television, radio and the internet, organizers hoped two billion people would experience some part of the event. It’s not known how close they came to reaching that goal, but in Lake Huntington, they reached about 40 residents.

Melissa Mueller, an educator from Livingston Manor, said she came to show support for the cause. Also, she had no television, and this was a good way to catch some of the event. She said she also loves potluck dinners.

Michael Chojnicki and Joe DiPane, both of the Beechwoods, had tickets to see the New York Philharmonic perform at Bethel Woods that evening. But they stopped first at the Nutshell to show support and take in part of the show.

There was some discussion that the image of rock stars jetting from place to place to perform for the event might not be the best way to get out the message that we need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. After all, Madonna, who was probably the biggest name at the concert in Britain, has a personal carbon footprint about 100 times greater than that of most residents of developed countries because she owns nine homes and uses fleets of buses, trucks and jets during her tours.

However, the folks at the Nutshell were philosophical about the apparent hypocrisy. Said one observer who preferred not to be identified, “If you want to reach the American people, doing it through entertainment is the best way.”

Mort Malkin of Milanville, PA preferred the direct approach. He handed out copies of a “My View” column he penned, which had been published in The River Reporter, about the steps needed to address what he called “global heating.”

Marshall Rubin of Youngsville said he came at the urging of the progressive online group moveon.org. He answered the group’s call for photographers to go out and document events such as this.

By most accounts, the daylong global happening, which was billed as “The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis,” was quite successful. According to event organizers, more than 10,000 local events, such as the one at the Nutshell, were held in 130 countries around the globe on July 7. The concerts reportedly set a record for internet usage with more than 10 million video streams recorded. And in Lake Huntington, 40 people got together for dinner.

Go to www.liveearth.org for more information.