"Global warming naysayers in the political world have not been able to have their way, because this will ? despite their best efforts ? be held on the Mall". Al Gore
In addition to adding a venue for LiveEarth within the shadow and earshot of the Congress, at the National Museum of the American Indian, this "concert" will kick off with a speech by Al Gore.
As a Climate Project trainee, I am going to be there with my t-shirt on and ears open.
Will you?
Schedule and the LiveEarth Pledge after the fold.
To be honest, the "Mother Earth" concert had already been scheduled (although, to continue the honesty, I didn't know about it ...), but now it is part of LiveEarth.
From AP Reporting (See also this
WashPost story.):
Gore said ... that global warming "is not a political issue; it's a moral issue. Nevertheless, some of the issues will have to be worked out in the political system."Gore said he was pleased that the concert would be audible at both the Capitol and the White House.
"A couple of the global warming deniers tried to deny it with parliamentary maneuvers," he said. "The cavalry didn't come riding to the rescue; the American Indians did."
The Smithsonian's explanation for joining LiveEarth is worth reading.((Note that the site name is
Mother Earth.)
Why the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian is taking part in Live Earth:For more than half a century, American Indian elders have called attention to humankind?s impacts upon our Mother Earth. Elders of many cultures subscribe to the concept that we must take into consideration the effects of our actions today on future generations. Climate change presents an important challenge to the global community to incorporate into its practices and policies the wisdom and knowledge of the interrelatedness of elements and life on Earth that are inherent in many American Indian cultures, as well as the prevailing evidence offered by science. It is time to regain that integrated understanding of the world that for millennia has characterized many Native traditions.
Preserving the health of Mother Earth is the gravest responsibility of our generation. Taking up this challenge begins with a call to consciousness.
As an institution of living cultures, the Smithsonian?s National Museum of the American Indian is committed to elevating human understanding about global climate change, through education, cultural performances, and civic engagement programs. Addressing the question of how to live sustainably on the Earth is about science, culture, and worldview. Because of that interrelationship, and because there is no more important matter before humankind today, we are honored to bring to the museum musical and cultural talent, and speakers from the scientific and American Indian cultural communities, in the spirit of the Live Earth message.
Here is the schedule and announcement:
Smithsonian?s National Museum of the American Indian Hosts ?Mother Earth? Event for Climate Change in the Spirit of Live Earth Project- The Event Features Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore -
WASHINGTON (July 6, 2007) ? The Smithsonian?s National Museum of the American Indian announced that it will host a special concert event called ?Mother Earth? Saturday, July 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with musical performances and speakers from the scientific and American Indian cultural communities in the spirit of the Live Earth message. Live Earth is a 24-hour, seven-continent concert series that will bring together more than 100 music artists to raise awareness of the solutions for climate change.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who is chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection and partner of Live Earth, is among the speakers who will deliver remarks about climate change during the welcoming ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Performances by country music artists Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and original and classic blues band Blues Nation follow immediately afterward. As part of this environmental message, the museum will make the broadcast of ?Mother Earth? available to Live Earth for worldwide broadcast.
?As a museum of living cultures, the National Museum of the American Indian is pleased to host ?Mother Earth,?? said Tim Johnson (Mohawk), acting director of the museum. ??Mother Earth? is part of the museum?s commitment to raising awareness of sustainable living and elevating the understanding of global climate change through innovative educational and cultural programs.?
?Mother Earth? ? 12 hours of concerts, speakers and film ? is free and open to the public. The event will take place outdoors at the National Museum of the American Indian?s Welcome Plaza (Fourth Street and Independence Avenue S.W., facing the U.S. Capitol). The full-day event will feature films; guest speakers; and Native American rock, funk, punk, reggae, gospel and Andean music, with a finale by Blues Nation at 9:30 p.m.
Schedule of Events for ?Mother Earth? at the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Saturday, July 7:
10:30 a.m. Welcoming ceremony and opening remarks by Tim Johnson (Mohawk), acting director of the museum Remarks by guest speakers: Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection and partner of Live Earth;
Henrietta Mann, Ph.D. (Cheyenne and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), professor emeritus and special assistant to the president of Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont.;
Katsi Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk Nation), traditional midwife and founding director of the First Environment Project of Running Strong for American Indian Youth Performances by: country music artists Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and original and classic blues band Blues Nation (Oklahoma)
11:30 a.m. Native Roots, reggae band from Albuquerque, N.M.
12:15 p.m. Remarks by guest speakers: Daniel Wildcat, Ph.D., professor at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., and co- director of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center; Henrietta Mann; and Katsi Cook
12:30 p.m. Yarina (Kichua), traditional and contemporary Andean music and dance from Boston
1:30 p.m. Screening of ?The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy? film in the Rasmuson Theater (Note: During the film there will be no performances on the Welcome Plaza stage.)
3 p.m. Trail of Tears discussion with Chad Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, in the Rasmuson Theater
3:45 p.m. The Plateros (Dine), rock-tinged gospel from Canoncito, N.M.
4:30 p.m. The Breaking Wind, rock, funk and blues from Canada?s Six Nations Reserve and Caledonia in Ontario
5:15 p.m. Remarks by guest speakers: Nancy G. Maynard, Ph.D., senior research scientist in the Cryospheric Sciences Branch at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and manager of NASA?s Tribal College and University Project; and Anthony D. Socci, Ph.D., senior science and communication fellow in the Atmospheric Policy Program at the American Meteorological Society in Washington, D.C.
5:30 p.m. Blues Nation, original and classic blues from Oklahoma 6:30 p.m. The Reddmen, punk rock band from Rapid City, S.D.
7:15 p.m. Native Roots
8 p.m. Yarina
8:45 p.m. The Reddmen
9:30 p.m. Closing remarks with Henrietta Mann and Katsi Cook; musical finale with Blues Nation and friendsThe schedule is subject to change. For updates, visit the museum?s web site.
The Seven-Point Pledge (
Discussion of them):
I PLEDGE:
1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"
3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.
*NOTE* You now have the chance to make my life far more difficult. The Climate Project website has just been changed. This is the central site for the 1000+ people who have been through a training program with Al Gore (and tremendous experts in Climate science, presentations, otherwise). The change now gives a path for asking for requesting a presentation by a TCP trainee. If you have an appropriate audience, we have a presenter ...
Crossposted from Daily Kos.