Today is Live Earth Day. I’m not quite sure what the concert is supposed to achieve. To quote LiveAid organizer Sir Bob Geldorf,

I hope they’re a success. But why is Gore actually organising them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? Everybody’s known about [the greenhouse problem] for years. We’re all fucking conscious of global warming. Live Earth doesn’t have a final goal. I would only organize [a gig like this] if I could go on stage and announce concrete environmental measures from the American presidential candidates, Congress or major corporations. They haven’t got those guarantees. So it’s just an enormous pop concert or the umpteenth time that, say, Madonna or Coldplay get up on stage.

Maybe. But now that it’s happening, you can tune in to the festivities online here. It’s pretty slick, actually, though both Firefox and Opera don’t seem to be able to open the player. You can browse pretty quickly between all the different events in every continent.

Want to actually make a difference? First off, change your personal habits. I haven’t really studied the issue enough, so I can’t help you too much on that front, but buy Compact Fluorescent bulbs. Take the Slate Green Challenge. Buy energy-efficient cars. Carpool. Bike, walk. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use tap rather than bottled water. Simple stuff, really. Go to an environmental website and learn more.

Want to do more? Work with your local government. If Brighton and Irondequoit can start becoming environmentally sustainable, so can your town.

Remember, conservation, energy efficiency, fancy new gadgets and so on are good for the economy. They save you money! If you properly insulate your house, imagine how much less you have to pay for heating, etc.

While there’s a lot of fancy technology around to ease the way, the best and a necessary way to save the planet is conservation, ok?

While we’re on the topic of Al Gore,

did you know that Al Gore is so smart, he counted to infinity - twice?

Find out more (funny, Chuck Norris-style) Al Gore facts here.