Elevating environmental discourse

On July 7, 2007, more than 20-million people tuned into Live Earth, a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series intended to, "trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis."

Presented by Kevin Wall and Al Gore, concerts in the U.S, England, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, China and Germany featured one hundred artists.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Chairman of Waterkeeper Alliance, spoke to the crowd at Giants Stadium in New York. His call to join grassroots environmentalists "at the barricades" became one of the event's most talked-about moments.

Kennedy's speech was powerful. In just a few minutes, he conveyed the passion, frustration, and optimism that drive the Waterkeeper movement. He also proved that young people and star-crazed audiences can get excited about talk of civics and democracy.

One part of his speech rang particularly true: Environmental justice is not just about buying wisely - it's about acting wisely. Being a smarter consumer won't bring back clean air and water. We need education, civics, informed debate, science and courage, too.

This week, we invite you to watch Robert F. Kennedy Jr's speech online.

You can also listen to Kennedy talk about the speech on his radio show, Ring of Fire.

Feel free to post your comments on our web site, www.waterkeeper.ca.