2008 Woodie Awards
The Echo Project: a weekend of good music and learning
Paul Scuderi
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The first ever Echo Project turned out to be an amazing experience to be a part of. The three-day music festival combined live music and conservation through an interactive concert atmosphere, centered in education, entertainment and community. The historic event took place over fall break at a 350-acre private farm located on the Chattahoochee River outside Atlanta, Ga.
Off the bat I was impressed with the effort that went into making the Echo Project happen, and with the positive messages it stood for. "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors we borrow it from our children." This Native American proverb was posted on the Echo Project web site, and really had me thinking about what the planet is going to be like in 20 years if we continue on a course of excessive consumption and pollution. After all, the earth will be around long after us, and I know that this statement might justify the attitude of "why should I care about the environment?" But I have an answer to that question, which is, do you care about yourself? If you care about your own well-being then you should care about the well being of the environment that supports us all. After all, we are part of the environment and its survival is imperative to our own.
Three weeks before the festival kicked off the Echo Project and its partners organized a group of volunteers for a clean-up effort at the infamous Chattahoochee River, which runs right outside the private farm's backdoor. By offering the people in attendance an opportunity to learn how to get involved in the small and larger aspects of conservation, the festival really made for an educational experience and at the same time entertained the crowd with big name acts such as The Flaming Lips, The Roots, The Killers, Common and many others great artists, with the assistance of solar power.
Information available at the festival encouraged everybody to do their part in helping to make the environment a cleaner, healthier place, from throwing trash away, always recycling, unplugging unused appliances, conserving water, and volunteering to clean-up in your community. If we just take a few minutes out of our daily lives to do some of these practices we can have a big impact on conserving the environment. Included in the effort was a goal that for every ticket sold a tree would be planted, breathing life for future generations to enjoy.
Off the bat I was impressed with the effort that went into making the Echo Project happen, and with the positive messages it stood for. "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors we borrow it from our children." This Native American proverb was posted on the Echo Project web site, and really had me thinking about what the planet is going to be like in 20 years if we continue on a course of excessive consumption and pollution. After all, the earth will be around long after us, and I know that this statement might justify the attitude of "why should I care about the environment?" But I have an answer to that question, which is, do you care about yourself? If you care about your own well-being then you should care about the well being of the environment that supports us all. After all, we are part of the environment and its survival is imperative to our own.
Three weeks before the festival kicked off the Echo Project and its partners organized a group of volunteers for a clean-up effort at the infamous Chattahoochee River, which runs right outside the private farm's backdoor. By offering the people in attendance an opportunity to learn how to get involved in the small and larger aspects of conservation, the festival really made for an educational experience and at the same time entertained the crowd with big name acts such as The Flaming Lips, The Roots, The Killers, Common and many others great artists, with the assistance of solar power.
Information available at the festival encouraged everybody to do their part in helping to make the environment a cleaner, healthier place, from throwing trash away, always recycling, unplugging unused appliances, conserving water, and volunteering to clean-up in your community. If we just take a few minutes out of our daily lives to do some of these practices we can have a big impact on conserving the environment. Included in the effort was a goal that for every ticket sold a tree would be planted, breathing life for future generations to enjoy.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Justin
posted 11/09/07 @ 5:53 PM EST
Very well put, great article. I'm glad you guys had a great time. Get ready for next year!
Post a Comment