Acknowledgments

This report was written and produced by the Los Angeles-based Live Earth Green Team, with help from Brand Neutral. The prin- cipal authors were Tom Feegel, Rich Mintz, Joshua Stempel, Elif Beall, and John Rego, with significant support provided by Nina Guralnick, Catherine Geanuracos, Andrea Robinson, and Marina Mintz.

The Alliance for Climate Protection was the primary nonprofit partner involved in Live Earth. Our green standards, our climate crisis solutions, our artist outreach, and the greening of our venues would not have been possible without our collaboration with the Alliance. We would like to thank Cathy Zoi, Chief Executive Officer, and all of the Alliance staff who contributed to our work, includ- ing Erin Kassoy, David Pascal, Brian Reich, and Debbie Boger.

Live Earth would also like to express its appreciation for the special efforts, support and counsel of the Climate Group, and its CEO, Dr. Steve Howard, and Stop Climate Chaos’s iCount Program, and its director, Dr. Ashok Sinha.

Without the generosity of our official partners, Live Earth would not have been possible. Thank you to MSN, smart, Philips, Stony- field Farm, PepsiCo, Esurance, and The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc.

Live Earth would like to thank the thousands of employees, artists, production staff, contractors, vendors, concessionaires, volun- teers, and fans who helped us reduce the environmental impact of Live Earth’s July events around the world by implement- ing the Live Earth Green Event Guidelines™. Special thanks are due to our venue teams, and to these organizations and individuals:

Aces Security Climate Action Partnership The Climate Group Conservation International Control Room Fórum Brasileiro de ONGs e Movimentos Sociais Ignition International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Live Nation Meeting Strategies Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New Jersey Transit The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey PricewaterhouseCoopers Salta Sustainable Seven Star Stop Climate Chaos United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Future Council World Wildlife Fund

Live Earth has engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to provide Live Earth with recommendations regarding its carbon footprint meth- odology and reporting procedures. These recommendations have enabled Live Earth to improve its methodology and carbon foot- print report, and also the underlying risk and control framework can be developed going forward. This assessment was performed by a global team of specialists and was coordinated from the Netherlands.

Copyright © 2007 Live Earth, LLC. All rights reserved.

This report is available online at http://www.liveearth.org or from Live Earth, 8750 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 250, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 USA. For more information, contact [email protected].

For more information about Brand Neutral, contact Tom Feegel, Principal, at 1-310-550-3864 or [email protected]. Contents

Foreword...... 5 An ambitious goal...... 5 How did we do?...... 5 Our legacy...... 6 Executive Summary...... 7 Our Audience...... 7 Our Environmental Strategy...... 7 Carrying Out Our Strategy...... 8 What We Accomplished...... 9 Assessment and Reduction...... 10 About Our Assessment Process...... 10 Stages...... 10 What We Measured...... 11 Footprint Boundary Statement...... 11 Reaching Further...... 12 Pre-Event Estimates...... 13 Implementing Reductions...... 13 Renewable Energy...... 13 Post-Event Calculations...... 14 Average Results by Venue...... 14 Detailed Discussion...... 15 Energy...... 15 Waste Management...... 15 Ground Transportation...... 16 Air Transportation...... 16 Carbon Offsets...... 17 Our Achievements in Context...... 18 Comparability...... 18 Achievements by Others...... 18 Raising the Bar...... 18 The Live Earth Pledge and Commitments...... 19 Glossary...... 20 Campaign Sponsors and Partners...... 21 Selected International NGO Partners...... 22 Hundreds of large-scale live events take place around the world every day of the year. one person Cultural gatherings, music tours and sporting events are an essential part of community life, bringing people together to enjoy one another’s one action company and share their mutual interests. But these events are not without their costs. Public events draw tens of thousands of mega- one success watts of electricity from the power grid. They burn millions of gallons of fossil fuel and produce thousands of tons of landfill waste. And eventgo- one choice ers typically burn even more energy getting to and from the event than is consumed at the event itself. one woman Live Earth set out to be different. From the moment we started planning our concert events for July 7, 2007, we aimed to bring them as close one word to the ideal of “zero net impact” as we possibly could. We projected our energy and resource one child use, developed a plan to mitigate our impact, and held everyone accountable for success. In the end, we achieved more than we ever one decision thought possible. This report shows you how we did it—and how you can do it, too. one moment one plan one promise one family one one man one day step one pledge one try matters one dream

Live Earth was the largest carbon-neutral public event in history. 5

Foreword

Early in my career, I learned that music has a goers, many of whom took alternative transporta- unique power to arouse the memory, excite pas- tion to our venues or participated in recycling sion, and move people to action. programs during the events. Sometimes just a single chord is enough to To make Live Earth a truly low-impact event, remind us of a moment in the past, or to motivate we built and deployed the Live Earth Green Team, us to change our lives—or to with the help of Los Angeles-based Brand Neutral, change the world. to carefully calculate and document our carbon Live Earth, the worldwide footprint and resource needs, both at our venues concert series we produced and and in all our offices and affiliate locations around broadcast on July 7, 2007, was a the world. Our Green Team put comprehensive global wake-up call set to music. policies and programs in place to reduce our Millions of people around energy and resource use and substitute lower-im- the world heard our music, pact alternatives. We trained and motivated our answered the call, and have personnel around the world to participate. And begun to make lifestyle changes we vowed to hold ourselves accountable to evalu- that will help mitigate the catastrophic effects of ate and publicize the outcome. global . Live Earth was not the first major cause- How did we do? related live entertainment event that I’ve had the The Live Earth Carbon Assessment & Footprint I learned long ago that Report that you hold in your hand is our detailed report to you about our effort. music can change the world. It explains how we measured our environmen- tal impact, how we set our targets for energy and honor and good fortune to produce or partici- resource reduction, what tactics we used to pur- pate in. I’ve been involved in over a dozen such sue those targets, and how successful we were. I events, and every one has been a reminder that encourage you to review the data we’ve provided, nobody lives in a vacuum—and that everyone can and judge for yourself. make a difference. I’ve learned that when en- I believe that in undertaking this program, we ergetic, talented, creative people set aside their took sustainability seriously. We measured our day-to-day concerns and their differences, and impact according to credible scientific standards, focus their energy on creating change, change is set ambitious goals for ourselves, and made sys- exactly what results. tematic and sustained efforts to achieve them. An ambitious goal Some will say that we could have done more with less, and let me be the first to say that there In planning Live Earth, we set out to do some- is always more improvement to be made. But thing that had never been done before. Live we set a high bar—higher than any large-scale Earth, we decided, would not just be a means of live event organizer has ever set before. And we raising awareness about global climate change. fulfilled our underlying purpose: we set a good Our themselves would be truly earth- example, one that other event organizers, promot- friendly, low-impact events. We would set an ers, and entertainers are already following. example of sustainable values and best practices It’s important to note that many of the tactics for events, showcasing the very lifestyle changes we used are accessible to any similar organiza- that we aimed to convince others to make. tion, and cost roughly the same as conventional Making this decision was easy, but carrying choices. Any organization—including yours—can it out took almost a year, and required the tight do what we did, as long as its stakeholders are collaboration of thousands of people around the committed to real change and and are willing to world. It also involved almost a million concert- question “business as usual.” 6

And this Report will help us—and you—do an events have begun incorporating the lessons of even better job next time. sustainability into their professional lives. Other event organizers and promoters are Our legacy using the Live Earth Green Event Guidelines™ as a model for reducing their own environmental When I made the personal commitment to impact, without substantially increasing costs or produce Live Earth more than a year ago, I had complexity. an ambitious vision. What I wanted to see was an And companies in other industries, from outpouring of passion and commitment to change, manufacturing to energy to consumer goods, are in which the artists we all love would bring to- looking at our Live Earth sustainability success as gether millions of fans in audiences around the an example of organizational change. globe, to focus attention on an urgent problem We’re proud to be an exemplar of environ- and envision solutions that we could all act on mental best practices. We invite you to learn from together. our successes and shortcomings, incorporate our One of the most enduring legacies of Live messaging into the way you talk to your own cus- Earth is our contribution to the launch of The Al- tomers and constituents, and make sustainability liance for Climate Protection. This organization, part of your daily activities. founded by Vice President to educate I sincerely hope that long after our event has and engage a worldwide audience to demand so- become just a memory, we will leave a footprint lutions to the climate crisis, will soon commence behind in the form of more environmentally its multi-year education and awareness cam- friendly business choices. That would truly be paign, contributing to the worldwide consensus worthy of the optimism and energy that so many that the sustainable event and business practices people around the world felt on July 7th. described in this document are essential for all large-scale events. Sincerely, And in the course of producing Live Earth, we Kevin Wall learned that sustainability is contagious. Executive Producer, Live Earth The artists who appeared in our Live Earth

Setting up for Live Earth in . 7

Executive Summary

On July 7, 2007, Live Earth brought together concerts, and 65 million streams afterwards. 150 music artists with almost two billion fans, In response to hundreds of requests from in person and through the media, for a 24-hour, around the world to stage local Live Earth con- 7-continent concert series that was broadcast certs, we created a “Friends of Live Earth” pro- around the world. Live Earth was the beginning of a multi-year “Friends” events campaign to increase awareness of global warm- in 132 countries. ing and its causes and risks, and to help motivate individuals around the world to take action in gram, and 10,413 “Friends” events—engaging their personal lives—and to prompt corporations over a million people who could not attend the and governments to do likewise. official concerts—were organized by fans. Rang- Official concerts were staged at Giants Sta- ing across 132 countries (in places including Zu- dium in New York; in London; rich, , , , and Malta), the Aussie Stadium in ; Copacabana Beach in events ranged from gatherings in private homes Rio de Janeiro; the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannes- to public screenings of the concerts in town centers to independent music events with tens of Concerts on 7 continents, thousands of people attending. with 150 musical acts. Millions of people made personal commit- ments and signed the “Live Earth Pledge.” If their burg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Oriental Pearl commitments are put into practice, millions of Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in metric tons of carbon will be removed from the Hamburg. atmosphere over the next decade. Concurrent with the lead-up to the concerts, we launched a comprehensive Web site, devel- Our Environmental Strategy oped in collaboration with NGOs like the Alliance From the beginning, we intended to make Live for Climate Protection, that provided informa- Earth a truly earth-friendly, low-impact event, and tion about the challenges of global warming, and a showcase of sustainable best practices for the about tactics that individuals, corporations, and events industry. Our strategy had five compo- governments could embrace that would make nents: a difference. The “Live Earth Pledge” and com- • Evaluate our current and projected re- mitments are a list of concrete life changes and source and energy use honestly demands for global action accessible to anyone, • Set clear goals, and develop a strategy to that our Web visitors were invited to commit to achieve them put into practice in their own lives. • Eliminate unnecessary resource and en- Our Audience ergy use wherever possible • Replace non-renewable resources and Almost a million people attended the concerts high-carbon energy sources with lower- in person, and almost two billion people saw and impact alternatives, and recycle waste heard broadcasts over television, radio, and the • Invest in alternative generation to offset Internet. Live Earth was carried across 100 televi- unavoidable energy use sion channels, 20 of the world’s leading networks, radio in 130 countries, film festivals, and in a In the fall of 2006, almost a year in advance major Internet campaign led by MSN. Named as of the July 2007 concert date, we set up the Live the “most popular online entertainment event Earth Green Team, with the help of Los Angeles- in history based on simultaneous viewers” and based Brand Neutral, to evaluate our projected the “Most Successful Day in MSN History,” MSN’s global energy and resource use and establish a online broadcast of the Live Earth concerts made strategy to help us mitigate our impact. history with 15 million video streams during the Our Green Team began by conducting a 8

Carbon Footprint Assessment—a scientifically our venues around the world, but we adapted our grounded estimate of the projected energy and strategies to fit the specific needs and opportuni- resource consumption associated with July’s ties inherent in each venue. In locations where events. Basing the methodology on the GHG Pro- it was feasible, for instance, public transporta- tocol—a joint initiative between World Resource tion to venues was part of the plan; similarly, we Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for deployed biofuels where we could secure them at Sustainable Development (WBCSD)—Live Earth a reasonable cost. adopted a boundary-setting process and energy However, we also made some blanket deci- and resource assessment protocol. Given the sions early on that exerted significant downward unique nature of Live Earth, the main GHG Proto- pressure on our energy and col principles (relevance, completeness, consis- resource use. For example, tency, transparency and accuracy) are especially we decided as a matter important. Live Earth wanted to begin to develop of policy that our events a framework that could be used by the live event would be held largely dur- industry while capturing an accurate footprint. ing daylight hours, a deci- The results of this calculation are described in sion that directly reduced more detail in the “Assessment and Reduction” our energy consumption by section of this document. a significant margin. Based on the assessment results, our Green Some of our accom- Team developed the Live Earth Green Event plishments were the result Guidelines™ and the Live Earth Artist Guidelines™ of high-level architectural A Live Earth fan at a with support from the U.S. Green Building Council and process decisions. For “Friends” event. Over and our partners such as the Alliance for Climate example, all Live Earth 10,000 were held around the world. venues were evaluated by a Guidelines that any team of sustainability engineers, informed by the event organizer can use. Live Earth Green Team, who addressed each site’s environmental and energy management challeng- Protection and the Climate Group. es, and suggested practical alternative strategies In the Green Event Guidelines, we aimed to to reduce impact, in areas such as stage design, set forth an executable, reusable plan for reduc- audience transportation, concessions, packaging, ing energy and resource use, in the context of a and waste disposal. large public entertainment event with complex Other accomplishments were the result of production requirements and distributed respon- an accumulation of individual impact-reducing sibility. The Green Event Guidelines focus on actions by thousands of Live Earth employees the three areas in which an event organizer can and contractors, artists and their staff members, have the most meaningful impact: energy reduc- concessionaires and vendors, and fans. In this tion, sourcing of sustainable materials, and waste regard, small decisions really did add up to sig- diversion. nificant changes. And in the Artist Guidelines, we couched the These small decisions included all the same principles of sustainability and environmental kinds of concrete steps we urged on Live Earth responsibility in terms that would be meaningful and actionable for touring artists and other enter- Small decisions tainment figures. that added up. We have published both sets of Guidelines elsewhere as a service to the entertainment com- fans and supporters via online commitments and munity, and they have already been put into prac- sign-on to the “Live Earth Pledge”: turning lights tice by numerous artists and event organizers. off, reducing the use of air conditioning, substitut- ing compact fluorescents and other energy-effi- Carrying Out Our Strategy cient alternatives, substituting renewable resourc- es for non-renewable and forgoing consumption Our approach was in no way “one size fits all.” altogether, implementing strict recycling and The underlying mitigation goals were the same in 9 waste diversion policies. Collaborative effort by all, from concessionaires using biodegradable plastics and recyclables to set designs produced from waste material to the purchase of green power to the use of fuel-efficient transportation, produced real impact. In the “Detailed Discussion” section of this document, you can read a domain-by-domain description of some of the most meaningful reduction steps we took as an orga- nization, and some of the individual decisions that were made at our venues and by our staff and partners that contributed most significantly to our results. What We Accom- plished

We understand that mean- ingful environmental mitiga- tion is a difficult task, and we couldn’t claim to be trying for perfection. But we drew a broader and more honest boundary around our impact in the assessment process than other events have done, made a more comprehensive attempt at mitigation, and worked more diligently to energize and mo- tivate our thousands of stake- holders—employees, artists, vendors, concessionaires—than has ever been done before. As a result, Live Earth’s 2007 concerts came closer to the am- bitious goal of “zero net impact” than any large public event in history. We’re honest about the ways in which we can improve further in our future events – but we’re also very proud of the hard work of thousands of people, and what it achieved.

Composting and recycling in Tokyo, Johannesburg, and New York. 10

Assessment and Reduction

The carbon and resource assessment, and ac- the artists to the construction crews to the venue companying reduction plan, is the foundation of staff to our back-office personnel. the energy and resource reduction effort that we The process of interviewing so many people, undertook for Live Earth: with so many different kinds of job responsi- bilities, in so many locations, led to substantive • The pre-event assessment sets the stage for discussions about emissions sources and an en- energy and resource reduction, by establish- vironment of education and collaboration, which ing benchmarks that can be used for setting helped ensure that when it was time to put our reduction goals. recommendations in place, people around the • The reduction plan sets out concrete goals for world were ready to help. mitigation, and specific, actionable strategies Stages to meet them. Our assessment and reduction program took • The post-event assessment enables us to the following stages: calculate how successful we were in putting those strategies into action. • Pre-Event: In preparation for our reduction plan, we completed a process analsyis of • And the process that we used to make our as- event production, and drafted a comprehen- sessments provides a window into our degree sive checklist of energy and resource reduc- of commitment to change. tion opportunities and strategies. This result- ed in the Live Earth Green Event Guidelines™, An important part of Live Earth’s legacy is the guidelines and benchmarks that we’ve presented available for download on our Web site. in this report and in our other publications, which • Reduction Plan: Next, we took the checklist chart a path towards producing events that gener- that resulted from the pre-event assessment, ate fewer emissions and consume fewer resourc- and converted the recommendations into a es. It is our hope that other events’ organizers concrete and actionable plan, touching all will learn from our example, and take themselves operations of Live Earth in every country. even further toward the goal of “zero net impact” than we were able to do this year. • Implementation: Then we sent the Live Earth Green Team into our venues and offices, to About Our Assessment Process train our staff and other stakeholders in put- ting simple, sustainable practices in place In making the calculations about projected around the major impact areas of an event: and actual energy and resource use that are re- energy use, procurement and waste disposal, flected in this report, we undertook to be honest and transportation. about our projected and actual consumption, to gather sufficient primary data to make accurate • Post-Event: After the Live Earth concerts calculations, and to adhere substantively to sci- were over, we completed a carbon assess- entifically credible measurement standards. As ment, in accordance with the principles set a result, we believe that the calculations in this forth in The Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Cor- report reflect statistically reasonable and accurate porate Accounting and Reporting Standard estimates of Live Earth’s carbon emissions and (revised, 2004), a publication of the World resource use. Business Council for Sustainable Development To prepare for our calculations, we collected and the World Resources Institute. As the primary data by conducting detailed interviews WBCSD/WRI protocol was written from a cor- with personnel around the world, in every venue porate perspective, and the energy implica- location. Our lengthy data collection process tions of event production are somewhat differ- involved all parties to a concert’s production, from 11

ent, we adapted the existing standards where Footprint Boundary Statement appropriate. From the start, Live Earth placed its primary focus on reduction, efficiency and The scope of Live Earth’s carbon assessment measurement. For residual energy usage that encompasses all activities by Live Earth head- could not be reduced through conservation, quarters, all production contractors that are Live Earth will select effective projects to classified as direct contractors for Live Earth, support through carbon offsets, which follow and those parties that hold a significant role in standards such as the UN’s Clean Develop- the creation, setup, production, or operation of ment Mechanism. the eight Live Earth concerts. What We Measured For the concerts, this comprises both orga- nizations Live Earth has and does not have Producing a global concert event is an effort a contractual agreement with, including the involving hundreds of people in dozens of loca- production team, production contractors, the tions, so evaluating our carbon footprint required venue’s operations, broadcasters, the artists, us to first determine what activities, by what and Live Earth’s setup team Ignition. people, in what locations, would be counted as falling within the scope of Live Earth. As the audience accounts for the largest por- The Footprint Boundary Statement at right tion of carbon emissions at any event, Live describes the types of activities we considered to Earth will also take relevant audience emis- be within the scope of Live Earth, for purposes of sions (e.g., transportation to the venues) into calculating our energy and resource use. Some account when calculating its emissions. examples of qualifying activities are listed in Figure 1. We defined our area of responsibility to total emissions associated with an event.) include those activities in which Live Earth exhib- For example, the emissions generated by the ex- ited outright control, and to exclude most activi- ecutive production team for the Live Earth films were ties where control was out of our hands. (We did included in our footprint calculation, because the team include emissions generated by audience travel, is covered by a direct contract with Live Earth. How- because they represent such a large share of the ever, the emissions generated by the director and the next page >>

Not In Primary Secondary Tertiary Scope • Headquarters and • Artist/entourage • Activities by audi- • Hotels back-office activities travel, and equip- ence members, • Merchandise • Sponsorship sales ment transport venue employees, manufacturing • Concert production • Merchandise and volunteers • Sponsor programs • Concert setup and shipping • Concessionaire shipping • Broadcasting transport • Concert venue activities • NGO travel energy and waste • Activites by broad- cast viewers

Figure 1. Some examples of qualifying activities 12 creation of the films were not, because the execu- Earth. Emissions by these subcontractors are a tive producers vest control in the director. critical element of the operations of a live event, For the sake of consistency and comparability, and must therefore be included if our results are we also counted certain activities conducted by to be compared meaningfully to the results of others that were integral to event production. other live events. For example, the emissions generated by our Table 1 below shows the primary entities as- venue-based event production teams and their sociated with Live Earth, and how we collected subcontractors were included in our calculations, data for analysis. even though the subcontractors’ relationship was with the event production teams and not with Live next page >>

Major Carbon Source Table 1. Data collection Energy Travel Sourcing Entity Tier Electric Generator Ground Air Waste Collection Procedure & Gas Power Transport Travel Disposal

P1. Headquarters Primary X X X Tracked flight and transport miles, office energy use P2. Sponsor Sales Primary X X Tracked flight miles P3a. Production Team Primary X X Collected data and logs for ground and air transport P3b. Production Contractors Primary X X Collected data and logs for ground and air transport P3c. Generator Contractors Primary X X Collected data for transport miles, type and quantity of fuel P4a. Facility & Concerts Primary X X X Collected data for energy use and (includes Venue Employees) number of site employees P5. Activation Contractor Primary X X X Collected data for transport miles S1. Artist Transport Secondary X X Collected distance and type of air miles, estimated ground miles S2. Merchandise Shipping Secondary X X Collected data for non-local, air shipping; estimated ground miles S3. Broadcasters Secondary X X Collected generator use and trans- port miles data T1. Audience Travel Tertiary X X Conducted surveys at venues T2. Volunteer Travel Tertiary X Calculated from average driving distance

Reaching Further Wherever possible, in implementing our bamboo and organic cotton apparel, and agro- mitigation plan, we tried to take into account ad- based signage were deployed where feasible. ditional emission sources that were not formally We also took the environmental policies of covered by our Footprint Boundary Statement. our vendors into account, and encouraged them For example, manufactured products entail to make changes that would reduce the impact of secondary emissions throughout their lifecycle, their activities. For example, our program printers such as those associated with transport, mer- and signage manufacturers used green energy. chandising, storage, and disposal. In addition, venues used compostable bioware Although these secondary emissions fell plastic, signs were printed with bio-based inks, outside our formal scope, we did take them into were VOC-free and primarily produced from agro- account informally, and we developed our sustain- materials, and FSC-certified furniture was used in ability plan with such lifecycle concerns in mind. many of the green rooms. So, for instance, items such as recycled paper, 13

Pre-Event Estimates Entity Key Reduction Strategies The media cited a variety of estimates be- P1. Headquarters • Install energy efficient lighting fore the concerts. On concert day, the Daily Mail • Use video and teleconferencing • Hold employee eco-training sessions quoted an estimate of 31,500 tons of carbon emis- • Review office procurement (paper, food, etc.) sions for the global event footprint (including P2. Sponsor Sales • Reduce air travel by stationing employees in attendee transport), and a waste estimate of 1,025 relevant areas for extended time tons. Internal estimates were generated as well P3a-b. Production Team • Design stage with LED or discharge lighting to assess the success of reduction strategies and and Contractors • Build with reusable/recyclable materials • Furnish rooms with FSC-certified goods act as a safeguard to large number variances. In P3c. Generators • Run generators on neat or blended biodiesel June, Live Earth produced a final pre-event inter- P4a. Facility & Concerts • Reduce waste through procurement process nal estimate of 18,526 tons, after most reduction • Set up extensive recycling and composting to strategies were planned and long-term changes divert waste from landfills were in place, but before the results of concert- • Reduce all non-essential energy use • Procure green energy and renewable energy day reductions could be known. credits P5. Activation Contrac- • Produce signs from agro-materials Implementing Reductions tor (includes T3, Venue • Use bio-based inks, VOC-free paints Employees) • Donate signs and banners for reuse Table 2 at right shows the same entities that S1-2. Artist Transport & • Book local artists; plan so as to lessen miles were listed in Table 1, with some of the most Merchandise Shipping • Encourage artists to fly commercial airlines • Use alternative-fuel buses and tour vehicles significant reduction strategies that Live Earth’s • Use fleet of fuel-efficient automobiles Green Team put in place. We systematically edu- • Produce merchandise locally cated our staff and other stakeholders in every lo- • Manufacture merchandise from organic or bamboo fibers with agro-inks cation about our reduction plan, put incentives in S3. Broadcasters • Run generators on neat or blended biodiesel place to encourage participation, and created an • Use recycled tape for recording atmosphere in which everyone felt like a critical T1. Audience Travel • Encourage & educate about mass transit part of a comprehensive system that encouraged • Institute incentives for carpooling sustainable choices. T2. Volunteer Travel • Recruit local volunteers In the “Detailed Discussion” section of this • Encourage carpooling document, we’ve provided much more detail Table 2. Some key reduction strategies about the specific tactics we adopted in the areas that were most ripe for reduction, including direct before and during the concerts, and transportation of energy use at our venues, waste management artists, personnel, equipment, and fans. next page >>

Renewable Energy In addition to energy conservation efforts and Atlantic Wind Farm in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jersey- biodiesel fuel for generators, Live Earth tried to Atlantic, one of the only coastal wind farms in the United source renewable energy at the venues where States, began operations in December 2005; it gener- availability and existing power contracts made it ates 7.5 MW from its five 1.5-MW wind turbines. possible. For Live Earth Johannesburg, Live Earth secured 7 For Live Earth Tokyo, both biomass and solar Tradeable Renewable Energy Credits (TREC’s) equiva- power were secured through Green Power Certifi- lent to 7 MWh from a biomass project, Umzimkulu Mill of cates. 4466 kwh of solar power from Hidamarina Illovo Sugar. in Obaida, Tokyo, which is part of the Tokyo Solar At Live Earth Hamburg, the HSH Nordbank Arena City Project and 1000 kwh of Biomass power from has an existing biomass heating supply from waste that Isesaki City, Gunma. is burned at the municipal trash facility 800m away. For Live Earth New York, Community Energy, For Live Earth Sydney, Origin Energy, supplied 150 a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewable MWh of Renewable Energy Credits from Challicum Hill’s Energies USA, supplied 112 MWh of locally gener- Wind Farm, located near Ararat in Western Victoria. ated Renewable Energy Credits from the Jersey- 14

Post-Event Calculations Entity Emissions Percent of After the Live Earth concerts, we calculated (tons) Total our estimated gross carbon emissions, through- P1. Headquarters 548 2.8% out our ten-month planning and execution pro- P2. Sponsor Sales 85 0.4% cess (and including the concert day itself) at P3a-b. Production Team 151 0.8% 19,708 tons. In Table 3 at right, you can review and Contractors our subtotals by entity. P3c. Generators 221 1.1% Live Earth’s post-event calculations of our P4a. Facility & Concerts 864 4.4% estimated emissions were significantly below all P5. Activation Contrac- 29 0.1% tor (includes T3, Venue pre-event external estimates in every category Employees) except for audience travel. Our actual carbon S1-2. Artist Transport & 529 2.7% footprint was roughly 40% below the estimate Merchandise Shipping quoted in the Daily Mail. S3. Broadcasters 115 0.6% Additionally, we generated only about one- tenth the amount of waste that was expected, and T1. Audience Travel 17,139 87.0% of the waste we did generate, 81% was diverted T2. Volunteer Travel 27 0.1% from landfills to be composted or recycled. Total (rounded) 19,708 100% As is typical for live events, a great majority Table 3. Calculated emissions (86%) of the estimated emissions were gener- ated by the nearly 1 million people attending the concerts. Energy use and air travel by Live Earth staff and artists combine to make up the next at the venues, travel and energy use at the Live Earth three largest categories: electricity and fuel use headquarters and offices, and artist travel.

Average Results by Venue For future benchmarking, Live Earth suggests using 300 tons for the production of a live event and 1,000 On average, each of Live Earth’s large tons for audience and artist travel, assuming that a scale stadium-based concerts emitted small fraction of the audience (approximately 2%) around 300 tons as a result of the event travels by air. itself, including the direct activities of the production team and contrac- tors (but excluding audience and artist travel). The audience and art- ists traveling to each venue accounted for an additional 900 to 4,500 tons, depending primarily on the availability of non-automobile transit and on the catchment area of the event. Due to Live Earth’s global nature, more of the audience at Live Earth con- certs traveled from beyond the local area (and, therefore, used modes such as air travel, which are carbon-intensive due to the long distance traveled) than is typical. Volunteers on the concert floor in Johannesburg. 15

Detailed Discussion

Energy of all waste was diverted from landfills on concert day, with Tokyo reaching 99%. Live Earth’s objective was to limit the amount Each venue was unique, and Live Earth tai- of energy consumed, and to substitute renew- lored comprehensive waste management systems able for non-renewable energy sources wherever to fit the challenges of each venue. For example, possible, while working within the real constraints in Johannesburg, New York City, and Rio de Ja- imposed by each concert site and its location. The single most important decision that we We composted or recycled made was to hold most Live Earth concert events 79 tons of waste. during daylight hours, which probably reduced our emissions by hundreds of tons by reducing neiro, Live Earth’s waste management system the need for illumination. included composting. For these venues, Live Beyond that, we optimized energy use in a Earth procured biodegradable serviceware for variety of ways. For example, stage lighting used use in concessions and backstage, which was then energy-efficient discharge and LED lights, stadi- processed with food and other organic waste into ums adjusted their energy management systems usable compost. to eliminate unnecessary lighting, and the use At all venues, Live Earth sought to reduce of air conditioning was significantly reduced in waste through the use of fountain dispensers instead of bottled drinks, and by procuring only Holding events in daylight recyclable containers. Live Earth also worked reduced emissions with venues and concessionaires to tailor menus and reduce packaging. In Johannesburg, the by hundreds of tons. Coca-Cola Dome allowed us to remove items from the menu that required Styrofoam, boxes, or plas- London and Tokyo by taking better advantage of tic bowls, and instead, provide concessionaires natural air circulation. with compostable deli paper. London’s Wembley The mitigation process varied by venue. At Stadium switched to burger boxes produced from London’s Wembley Stadium, on-site staff turned reed pulp. lights on and off as needed; in other venues, light The most significant component of waste was switches for unused rooms were taped off. related to food and refreshments concessions. At venues in Japan, Brazil, the United States, At many of the concerts, England, and Australia, generators that powered a corps of volunteers or the stage and broadcasts were fueled with neat staff supervised waste (100%) or blended biodiesel. Green electricity collection stations, mak- was sourced directly from the grid where avail- ing sure that recyclables able; where it was not, renewable energy certifi- were sorted separately cates were purchased to offset our consumption from organic compostable through the production of cleaner energy. (See material and trash. And the “Carbon Offsets” discussion below.) by participating, indi- vidual concert attendees Waste Management played a critical part in ensuring that these An energy-saving tactic Due to our aggressive efforts to reduce the from our Global Warm- amount of physical resources consumed and to diversion efforts were ing Survival Handbook. procure low-impact alternatives, the concerts successful. generated only 97 tons of waste, a fraction of what Stage props and signage were donated or was originally projected. Through concerted reused wherever possible. In Sydney, signage recycling and composting efforts, including at the was created on the back of existing venue signs, venues on the concert day, we estimate that 81% which were returned to their normal use after the 16

event. In Hamburg, promo- Venue Total Recycled Composted Burned for Landfill Diversion tional banners were repur- Waste or Reused Electricity Rate posed into limited-edition Johannesburg 3.0 1.0 2.0 0 0.1 97% messenger bags with straps New York City 25.9 16.1 3.6 0 6.2 76% made from seat belts. In Rio de Janeiro 17.9 15.1 0.4 0 2.5 86% South Africa, banners were Shanghai 0.6 0.5 0.04 0 0.1 85% donated to a rural township Tokyo 2.7 2.0 0.3 0.6 0.02 99% to build shade coverings for school playgrounds. Table 4. Waste diversion at five venues (1) Weights in metric tons; rounded

Ground Transportation people was used as a carpooling incentive. But low-impact transportation will not be ad- Audience ground travel was a significant opted broadly without incentives to make it more source of emissions, and we worked to mitigate attractive. In many locations, including some of those emissions by encouraging lower-impact our venues, driving is more cost-effective or less alternatives such as mass transit and carpooling. time-consuming than mass transit. Some people In Hamburg and Sydney, for instance, fare for noted that taking public transit to the concert public transporta- worked well, but when it was time to go home, Venue Transit Use tion on the day of the long lines made it an unattractive choice. Shanghai 78% concerts was integrat- With regard to ground travel by our employ- Tokyo 75% ed into the concert ees and affiliates, Live Earth attempted to mini- London 68% tickets, eliminating mize carbon emissions from the start. Depend- Sydney 46% any additional cost or ing on the location, Live Earth staff undertook to Hamburg 33% hassle. Email blasts take mass transit or to carpool using fuel-efficient were sent notifying vehicles. Approximately 90% of staff travel in New York City 23% ticket holders about London, and 50% in Tokyo, was by train. At most Table 5. Transit use transportation options venues, the typical staff vehicle carried 3 or more by venue (1) other than personal employees at a time. cars, and related For ground transport of artists, Live Earth information was posted on the Live Earth Web was also provided with a fleet of vehicles from its site. We also struck a partnership with Evite to partner, smart car. This fleet consisted of smart facilitate the organization of carpools online, and cars—with the lowest emissions of any car on the radio spots urging carpooling and public transit road today—and economical Bluetec and E-Class use were aired. Mercedes that were fueled by biodiesel and ultra- We conducted on-site surveys of a representa- low-sulfur diesel. Our UK fleet had an average tive sample of attendees at all venues, followed by CO2 g/km of 140 (compare this to the UK fleet In Shanghai and Tokyo, average of 208).(2) over 3/4 of fans used transit. Air Transportation online surveys after the event in London and New During the planning process, the Live Earth York. In Shanghai and Tokyo, more than three- team attempted to reduce the need for produc- fourths of the audience rode public transporta- tion-related travel through the use of videocon- tion. Even in New York, where Live Earth’s concert ferencing. This strategy proved challenging. took place at the relatively remote Many meetings were introductory in nature or in the New Jersey suburbs, an unprecedented were site inspections in which it was important 23% of concert attendees chose to ride trains and to meet in person. Furthermore, many teams buses to the venue, thanks to a strong partnership worked across countries and cultures, and video with local transit authorities. Where public trans- (1) Reliable statistics were not available for other venues. portation was not available, such as in Johannes- (2) Guidelines to Defra’s GHG conversion factors for com- burg, preferred parking for cars with 3 or more pany reporting, updated June 2007. 17 and telephone conferencing proved inadequate Carbon Offsets as a sole means of communication to overcome these inherent challenges. And videoconferenc- In pursuing a zero-net-impact event, reducing ing resources were not universally available. energy use is the most important tactic. At the end To reduce artist air travel, Live Earth under- of the day, however, some amount of emissions will took to recruit artists who were already on tour or be generated, and Live Earth is purchasing carbon who were based near their Live Earth venue. In offsets (greenhouse gas credits) to mitigate the addition, the vast majority of our artists flew com- portion of its carbon footprint that could not be mercial airlines rather than private charters. In avoided by energy reduction. These credits are fact, less than 1% of all artist air travel took place being sourced from reputable projects that meet on private charters. the credible standards recognized in the market. While only a small percentage of concertgo- While we believe in the value and role of car- ers flew to the Live Earth concerts, air travel is bon offset frameworks, we know there is contro- such a heavy contributor to emissions that audi- versy surrounding the market. For this purpose, ence travel by air accounted for a significant we wanted this report to focus attention on the portion (80%) of audience transportation emis- reduction and measurement phases of Live Earth. sions. Approximately 8% of the London and New During November 2007, Live Earth will conduct York audiences traveled by air to the concerts. a public conversation about the value and role of carbon offsets as we select the projects that will bring Live Earth’s impact to carbon neutral net.

A Ritlee compost tumbler is demonstrated at Live Earth Johannesburg. 18

Our Achievements in Context

Live Earth is pleased to join the impressive Likewise, the producers of the 79th Academy group of organizations that have taken steps to Awards took impressive steps to “green” the tele- make their large scale events environmentally cast and related events. Carbon accounting was sustainable. These include the 2006 Winter Olym- only one of the addressed pics, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the United States’ in the course of producing the Oscars, which also National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl, and part of the Oscars’ focus, which also included the Academy Awards. species extinction, deforestation, toxic waste, and environmental pollution. The carbon accounting Comparability focused primarily on energy use. Because they were multi-venue events like At present, comparing Live Earth to other Live Earth, the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 events in terms of sustainability and carbon emis- Olympics are worth reviewing. The 2006 World sions is difficult, not only because event organiz- Cup games in Germany saw 3.4 million attendees ers set different benchmarks and measure their at 64 games in 12 cities. The World Cup green- success according to different standards, but also house gas accounting captured approximately because of the nature of Live Earth itself. 92,000 tons of carbon equivalents (see Table 6 We held events at eight venues simultane- below), and the World Cup generated approxi- ously, and the venues ranged from outdoor gath- mately 1,494 tons of waste. erings at a national monument in Shanghai and The 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, to open Italy provide another basis for comparison. The stadiums in New York and London, to indoor sta- Games consisted of 16 days of competition with diums in Tokyo and Johannesburg. The sizes of 342 Olympic Medal events in 3 Olympic Villages. the events also varied, from approximately 3,000 The carbon accounting considered transporta- people in Shanghai to hundreds of thousands on tion by teams, officials, sponsors, volunteers and the beach in Rio de Janeiro. media to and within the Olympic Villages (but We chose to err on the side of responsibility, not travel by spectators), preparation, operation by drawing a large boundary around our carbon- and dismantling of accommodations and venues, emitting activities to encompass every activity and transportation for waste management. Total that we might reasonably be considered respon- carbon emissions measured 106,000 tons, and the sible for. The most significant sources of carbon Games generated 1,212 tons of waste. emissions generated in the planning and execu- tion of Live Earth were captured: global and local Raising the Bar production team ground and air travel, travel by venue contractors and employees, energy use In the context of these achievements by oth- during our months of planning, artist ground and ers, we are proud of Live Earth’s sustainability air travel, and audience travel (by far the largest record. By defining our responsibility broadly, single component). we raised the bar for everyone. We calculated

Achievements by Others Component Emissions Share (tons) The NFL Super Bowl has been phasing in Stadium construction 4,140 4.5% “green” practices for several years. The carbon Audience transport 70,500 76.9% accounting for the 2006 Super Bowl measured the Facility supplier transport 2,500 2.7% impact of selected emissions-generating activi- Lodging and related 11,640 12.7% ties. The carbon equivalent measured for those Heating and electricity 2,890 3.2% activities was roughly 500 tons, with about 70% Total 91,670 100.0% attributed to the NFL transportation fleet used to shuttle NFL guests around the host city, and 30% Table 6. 2006 World Cup emissions attributed to electricity use at the venue. Source: Green Goal Legacy Report, Deutschland 2006 19 our footprint honestly and according to scientifically cred- ible standards. We made simultaneous efforts in multiple countries, involving thousands of people (plus hundreds of thousands of eventgoers), to reduce energy and resource use, substitute lower-impact alternatives, and responsibly handle our waste materials. But there is always further to go. We hope that other event organizers will learn from our example, report their perfor- mance, and set new examples Eco-village at Live Earth Tokyo. for us and others, as we move toward ever-stronger standards for environmental responsibility. Volunteers at Live Earth Shanghai sorting waste in the rain.

The Live Earth Pledge and Commitments

At Live Earth, we believe that sustainability starts with individual choices. That’s why we’re particularly proud of the fact that millions of people around the world have signed Al Gore’s seven-point “Live Earth Pledge” on our website and the sites of the Alliance for Climate Protection and other partners. The Live Earth Pledge, and our associated messaging on our concert day, focused on concrete, action- able, results-oriented commitments that individuals could make in the following categories: home, work, shopping, transportation, and community. We communicated this information from the stage, broadcast it to the world, and published it online. By committing to make changes, individuals agreed to do some or all of the following: • Change four light bulbs to CFLs at home • Ride public transit or carpool weekly • Shop for the most energy-efficient electronics and appliances • Shut off equipment and lights when not in use If our pledge signers make good on their commitments for one year, the result will be a reduction in car- bon emissions of 189,000 metric tons.

For more information about global climate change and how you can make a difference, pick up a copy of our companion book, The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change by David de Rothschild (Rodale, 2007, $14.95), available at booksellers worldwide. 20

Glossary Alternative Energy ficult to achieve, but climate change mitigation Energy produced via a process that generates programs aim to approach as fewer carbon emissions than the conventional closely as possible. burning of fossil fuels, e.g., wind or solar power. Emission Factor Biodiesel A measure of the average amount of a speci- A fuel derived from vegetable oil, animal oil fied pollutant or material emitted for a specific or fat, tallow, or waste cooking oil, which is used fuel or process. Example: The US average carbon in place of conventional petrochemical fuels. dioxide output rate for electricity in 2000 was “Neat” biodiesel is 100% biologically derived, 1,392 lbs CO2 per megawatt-hour (EPA 2003). but biodiesel is typically blended with conven- tional fuels. Global Warming Long-term change in the earth’s climate, Bioware primarily resulting from contemporary human Products (such as dishware and utensils) activities. manufactured from biologically friendly materials that are designed to be composted, rather than Greenhouse Gases recycled or deposited in landfills. Gases released into the atmosphere, which absorb and reemit infrared radiation, warm- Carbon Assessment ing the earth’s atmosphere and contributing to The process of measuring the carbon emis- the long-term climate change known as global sions associated with a specific company, product, warming. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, or project. chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochloro- fluorocarbons (HCFCs) are all greenhouse gases, Carbon Emissions with carbon dioxide the most significant. The amount of carbon dioxide (and, in infor- mal usage, other greenhouse gases) released into Greenhouse Gas Credit the atmosphere as a result of an activity. The re- See Carbon Offset. lease of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as a result of human activities (primarily burning of NGO fossil fuels) is a primary factor in global warming. Short for “non-governmental organization”— often a nonprofit organization formed to address a Footprint social challenge or problem. The environmental impact (typically mea- sured as the amount of carbon emissions gener- Metric Ton ated) of a specific company, product, or project. Common international measurement for the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions. For ex- Carbon Offset ample, burning 114 gallons of gasoline produces A financial instrument (similar in concept to a 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide. pollution credit) that encourages the generation For clarity, where not otherwise specified in of alternative energy, by letting the market play a this report, a ton always refers to a metric ton. part in setting the value of the incremental effort There are also US or Short Tons which are 2000 and risk associated with alternative generation. pounds. A metric ton is 2204.6 pounds or 1000 kilograms. Carbon-Neutral An activity or process that generates no Zero Net Impact carbon emissions. True carbon neutrality is dif- See Carbon Neutrality. 21

Campaign Sponsors and Partners

Alliance for Climate Protection The Alliance is a new organization engaged in an unprecedented public education campaign on both the urgency and the solvability of the cli- mate crisis. Building on the momentum of “An Inconve- nient Truth,” our objective is to persuade individ- uals, communities, states, and corporations across the world to begin to quickly reduce their own greenhouse pollution in order to become “carbon neutral.” Furthermore, The Alliance is working to move the US past a tipping point, beyond which political and business leaders and all sectors of civil society compete to offer policies and pro- Recycling at Live Earth Johannesburg. grams that will sharply reduce emissions. Through an innovative combination of com- the UK’s most respected organisations passionate munication platforms—like Live Earth—and an about climate change. With a combined experi- influential collection of supporters that includes ence of over 700 years and a supporter base of the environmental community, key leaders in over 4 million, the campaign is showing the public business, the entertainment industry, hunters, and politicians that climate change is not too big labor and many others, the Alliance will reach a problem to fix. new audiences that until now have not engaged in The campaign has created a range of compel- solving the climate crisis. ling ways to inspire individuals to reduce their carbon footprint in work, rest and play and a pub- The Climate Group lic platform to demand that the UK government The Climate Group is an independent, non- keep within the widely accepted global warming profit organization dedicated to advancing busi- danger threshold of 2 degrees C. ness and government leadership on climate As the NGO partner for LIVE EARTH UK, I change, based in the US, UK and Australia and Count will transform all the awareness and excite- operating internationally. ment generated by the concert, into individual The Climate Group convened last summer’s action and positive pressure on politicians. roundtable discussion with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Avaaz.org a select group of prominent CEOs and business Avaaz.org is a new multi-issue online network leaders from leading California and international that provides opportunities for citizens of every companies to share ideas on how business and country to take concerted action on urgent global government can work together to reduce green- problems like climate change, poverty, and hu- house gas emissions. The roundtable resulted in man rights. Its mission is to ensure that the views a historic cooperation agreement between the and values of the world’s people shape global de- UK and California to advance the deployment of cisions. It operates in 12 languages. Launched in clean energy and clean technologies and a Lead- January 2007, Avaaz.org has grown to more than 1 ership Statement on Climate Change signed by million members hailing from every nation in the twelve of the participating CEOs. world. Avaaz means “voice” in several European, Middle Eastern, and Asian languages. I Count I Count is the campaign of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, which brings together over 50 of 22

Selected International NGO Partners

Climate Action Partnership United Nations CAP is an alliance between major conserva- Environment Programme tion organizations in South Africa who have a UNEP’s China office in Beijing works closely common vision of reducing the impact of climate with the State Environmental Protection Admin- change on South Africa’s unique natural diversity. istration of China (SEPA) and other ministries, CAP aims to reduce species extinctions by plan- international agencies and nongovernmental ning for climate change, for example by incorpo- organizations in implementing programmes in rating conservation corridors into South African environmental assessment, law, education and landscapes, allowing species to shift their ranges training, management, technology transfer and in response to changes in climatic conditions. innovation, and natural disaster prevention. It CAP also works to reduce South Africans’ also helps to develop and support projects under carbon footprints and in addition offers carbon the Global Environment Facility, an international footprint offset opportunities through forest reha- fund to address climate change, biodiversity, land bilitation projects in South Africa, benefiting the degradation, transboundary water and chemical climate while at the same time increasing habitat management issues. for forest species and creating jobs for rural com- munities. World Future Council The World Future Council is a new voice in Fórum Brasileiro de ONGs the global political arena—one that draws on our e Movimentos Sociais shared human values to champion the rights of fu- The Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Move- ture generations, and works to ensure that human- ments for the Environment and the Development ity acts now for a sustainable future. The Council (FBOMS) was created in 1990 in order to facilitate unites fifty highly respected figures from across the participation of civil society in the process of the globe and from all walks of life to create a the United Nations Conference on Environment strong ethical voice to represent future genera- and Development (Rio-92). FBOMS mission is the tions. Selected through a global consultation pro- harmonization between social, economic and cess involving 2,500 civil society organisations, environmental questions aiming at sustainable the Council members bring with them a wealth development, seeking to achieve a fair, equal and of experience and expertise. Coming together environmentally sound society. to identify the key issues of the day, the Council FBOMS Brazil has more than 550 member draws on this knowledge and experience to set organizations, both NGOs and social movements the agenda for the activities of the WFC. from all across Brazil. World Wildlife Fund ICLEI For more than 45 years, the World Wildlife ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability is Fund has been protecting the future of nature. an international association of 1,000 local gov- The largest multinational conservation organiza- ernments, including more than 250 in the United tion in the world, WWF works in 100 countries States, working to advance sustainable develop- and is supported by 1.2 million members in the ment and climate protection. Since 1990, ICLEI United States and close to 5 million globally. has helped local governments set and reach tan- WWF’s unique way of working combines global gible goals with positive results for their commu- reach with a foundation in science, involves action nities. When it comes to global warming, ICLEI’s at every level from local to global, and ensures members provide leadership at the local, national the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the and global scale and are proving that local action needs of both people and nature. can indeed move the world.