This past weekend I watched some of the Live Earth performances, mainly because I enjoy musical concert performances and there aren’t many opportunities to see this kind of thing on broadcast TV these days.

Of course, for the organizers, the event which featured live performances on July 7 on each of the seven continents was about much more than music.

The worldwide event was aimed at raising public awareness about the impact we each have on our environment.

Global warming is an issue that stirs up strong feelings on both sides of the issue.

Personally, I think there is a lot of "Chicken Little" syndrome at work here.

Chicken Little, if you recall, ran around telling everyone, "the sky is falling, the sky is falling," but of course, people eventually figured out the sky wasn’t falling.

The organizers of Live Earth dished out some politically-charged propaganda to go along with the musical entertainment, and the dominant message seemed to be that they are certain that the planet is on the verge of environmental catastrophe because of the negative impact of human beings.

I’m not a scientist, but I did take some science classes in college and I was left with the impression that our planet is a huge and dynamic, ever-changing system. So enormous, in fact, that it’s doubtful human beings would ever reach the point where they could make a significant negative impact.

So, I don’t agree with the Live Earth folks’ view that the planet is on the verge of destruction.

I honestly think that asteroids and meteors pose a much more significant risk to causing an end to life on this planet, but that’s a topic for another column.

While the temperature of the planet may be rising – ever so slightly over very long periods of time, I have yet to see any hard evidence that verifies its two-legged inhabitants are to blame for the increase in temperatures or any credible evidence that suggests these increasing temperatures will cause the kind of disaster some folks are predicting.

From what I remember, planetary temperatures constantly rise or fall – even on planets that aren’t inhabited by people who drive SUVs, so I think it’s a little naive to assume the earth’s temperature should always remain constant. While the planet’s temperature may be slightly on the rise right now, I think it’s very likely that at some point in the future it will start to go the other direction, and then back and forth again, like a swinging pendulum.

However, I do think that each of us, as individuals, should do all we can to reduce, reuse and recycle. Not because the planet’s on the edge of destruction, but because, as our mothers taught us, being wasteful is wrong and we do need to take care of our world, which is our home.

If you leave a room, turn the lights out and change the thermostat to avoid wasting electricity. If no one’s watching the TV, turn it off. If you only need one napkin, don’t take twenty. Avoid unnecessary and excessive road trips and carpool whenever possible. The list goes on and on – little things each of us can do to conserve.

There are lots of good habits that we should adopt, regardless of one’s personal politics, whether or not you like Al Gore or whether or not you believe the planet is on the verge of destruction.

The music at Live Earth was great – I really enjoyed the performances, although I didn’t enjoy the political rhetoric and name-calling.

And yes, it is a little hypocritical for rock stars that fly thousands of miles each year on private jets to criticize ordinary people for driving pick-up trucks instead of tiny economy cars.

Have you ever tried hauling hay in a Prius?

I mean for some of us, it’s just not practical.

For someone like me who has never thought of himself as a "tree-hugger" – I have to admit that there were parts of the message that sank in.

As I left the house this morning, I noticed a table lamp was on in our living room.

Before I left, I walked over and switched it off.