I
n early December of 2006, my cofounder of LimeLight, Michael Ryniker, and I saw Dr. David Suzuki speak to a packed downtown church in Vancouver. David Suzuki spoke so passionately about protecting the environment and one thing that really stood out for us during his talk was the first of the 3 R’s – “Reduce.” He encouraged people to reduce, such as reducing buying more stuff, size of home and size of vehicle. We were inspired to create an outdoor music, art and eco-lifestyle festival. We wanted to raise public awareness about solutions to climate change and inspire people to be part of the solution by making meaningful and lasting changes in their lives. Michael and I soon developed a vision for the festival and started some preliminary planning when in late February 2007 Al Gore announced the monumental Live Earth concerts. We thought that the city of Vancouver would get picked up for the line-up or someone else would head up the role to produce a supporting event for Live Earth. Our festival was shelved until mid-May when it became clear that
no organization - government, corporate or non-profit - was planning anything in Vancouver and possibly all of Canada for Live Earth. We decided to tweak our festival to include Live Earth and pitch the idea to various environmental groups in Vancouver to see what the interest was. From the get-go, we made it clear that this event was doable only with a lot of individuals volunteering their time, talent and expertise. The response to contribute has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s an ambitious project and timelines are ridiculous. We invite all Canadians to be part of Live Earth, a monumental global movement that can inspire a tipping point. It’s only possible to make this event a reality through combined efforts of all of us. The festival is financed with the gracious support of our sponsors. Limelight took the lead, but it’s a real community effort to make this event a reality. The famous Margaret Mead quote is a motivator: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Inspiring Solutions to Climate Change Global Habitat Festival is a free Friends of Live Earth outdoor music festival in Vancouver on July 7, 2007. This event features live music, art, an eco-village and live coverage of the monumental global event Live Earth. Global Habitat Festival aims to raise public awareness about solutions to climate change and inspire people to be part of the solution by making meaningful and lasting changes in their lives.
Venue Robson Square, 12:00 Noon - 9:00 pm Rain or Shine - Free - All ages! Full lineup and festival details will be posted online at Visit the website and sign up for festival updates! Email info@limelightevents.ca Phone 604.628.9415 Fax 604.628.9414
