“As one of the millions around the world watching the much anticipated Live Earth concerts, I found myself increasingly irritated by the artists chosen to make us all more aware of the damage we are doing to the environment. Fly less, drive less, waste less, recycle more. Yet these pop stars rack up thousands of miles a year on increasingly large world tours, leading to higher sales of CDs, which in turn produce thousands of tonnes of waste in plastic packaging. They own private jets, fleets of cars, and heat and light huge mansions that are empty for half the year. They then go and pocket extra cash and exposure advertising cars and soft drinks. By taking part, the artists increase their public profile and gain exposure to new audiences, thereby landing bigger tours, selling more CDs and being able to buy more planes, cars and houses, all whilst encouraging me to give up my holidays and cycle to work. Rather than let these people lecture me about what I could do, I left my TV on standby and went for a drive.”