Even though Earth Day 2008 is still more than a week away (technically it is April 22, 2008), I wanted to get a jump on a post about it. There are many events planned around the world next weekend. The zoo in Houston, Texas will be holding an event this coming Saturday, April 19. Anyway, last year, when I was searching for a song that had an environmental theme to it, Charles Hugh Smith of Of Two Minds blog suggested Big Yellow Taxi originally done by Joan Baez.
Later I realized some of the songs sang by the late John Denver also had environmental themes. John Denver in many ways epitomized the cognitive dissonance we all exude in our ideals. While he championed protection of the environment, he had a hobby of flying airplanes, which leave a pretty large carbon fingerprint for a hobby. I also heard that he pushed for the construction of an airport near his home over the objection of many of his neighbors. Even so, the music he left is loved by millions and expresses the ideals of conservationists.
Rocky Mountain High
And in the following video, Denver talks about the development of the song Calypso, which is based on a trip he took with Jacques Cousteau (it includes the video for the song).
Calypso
