This past weekend, thousands, perhaps millions of people gathered together to catch a concert event on a global scale. The Live Earth concert event this year was held in eight countries around the globe to broadcast a single message: environmental consciousness.

The event was another large-scale clash of fads from celebrity interest groups and their adoring fans. Speakers ranged from former presidential candidate Al Gore to actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio.

While a few of us muse that the event was anything but conservative – high electricity bills and jet fuel to fly in the big names – the message was clear and the venue ideal. The fact remains that the world is on the brink of an energy crisis. While consumers may unknowingly consume us into oblivion, the message must be spread that the alternative can only be wrought by changing habits and curbing consumption.

Today, the average consumer is flooded with images of how his or her life should be. Whether they are bombarded by television commercials, billboards or magazine ads, the message from the corporate realm is potent, and attractive: spend! One voice in a crowd of voices cannot be heard; thus, celebrities have realized their power of capturing attention and used it for good.

Whether the speakers and musicians used the event for personal gain or reputation boosting seems to be a moot point as no one can disagree with the urgency of their message.

Local areas are just as effected as regional. In Midwest Ohio, for instance, farming is one of the primary sources of income. Thus, environmentalists must always be weary of contaminated groundwater from herbicides and fertilizer.

Irrigation is also a problem. When people use any irrigation system, from sprinklers to crop irrigation devices, water is exposed and is more likely to evaporate. And in a time of drought – like this summer – this can lead to a depletion of the water table.

The message from Live Earth was well received, and The BG News applaud the celebrities’ broadcasting it.