Midnight Oil once sung against the US forces then ended up joining them, what about Echelon?

Having been a fan of Midnight Oil for a long time it was quite a surprise and disappointment when I learnt that frontman Peter Garrett had joined the Labor party, who are not a whole lot different from the Liberal party here in Australia. For many Oils fans it was a feeling of betrayal and now Garrett sits on the front bench in his corporate suit with a climate change portfolio towing Labor's thin green line. Promoting some renewable systems but largely promoting coal sequestration, the continuation of nuclear, and war.
Unfortunately a climate change minister and singer who once sang the famous and now prophetic line "The US forces gives the nod, it's a setback for your country" is a proponent of yet another strategic US military base to be built here in Australia and our continued active military alliance with the US government/corporation. Who we know have for decades lied to start wars to sell arms and to rape countries of resources.
Arnold Schwarzenegger tells us to get sexy and not feel guilty about climate change, which warfare plays a huge part in. Yet I don't feel it's wise to be an insensitive sheep that lets Hollywood hijack the environmental movement like it's some blockbuster movie with a fairytale ending we can all be comfortably numb about. Hollywood has for years produced films and propaganda about violence, wars and the destruction of earth and now they care about the environment? Let's make reality, heartfelt truth and self-empowerment trendy instead.

I want Americans to understand something here, Australian's are most grateful for your countries help during WW2 fighting off the Japanese invasion. But, when a friend who once helped you in a fight against a bully grows up to become one of those bullies himself, I think it wiser that we discourage our friend from further violence not condone, promote and join in their self-destructive behavior.

That's about Echelon

Wouldn't the power needed to build the more sustainable systems in itself contribute to greenhouse gas emissions?

Yes, but once the first solar and renewable energy powered venues, homes and business are built, they will then greenly and cleanly power the construction of the next, the domino effect.

Is this about corporate action or individual action?

In a sense I'm not sure how one separates the two. I believe, from a physical, a spiritual, an economic, a victim-less and a scientific quantum function point of view that people, individuals, you and me, one, have the ultimate personal power and potential which we have only just begun to glean in our lives and bring forth into action. A few enlightened souls have done so before.

What do you think of the Live Earth Concerts?

We've been there tried that hasn't worked. I think the most environmental thing people could do is not go to the concerts.

If artists stop touring how will we be able to see our favorite bands live?

If we are going to seriously and earnestly tackle climate change we need to make some sacrifices to balance mankind's greed, at the same time as grasp onto more passionately that which is elemental to our nature. To limit or stop touring (especially in jets) unless the artist or band can do it in a renewable way that doesn't involve carbon trading, and simply perform locally, within the community and online, would be a message of action and influence that will prove who really has the power.
The people we influence, the music lover, count everyone, could do without that luxury holiday flying around the world, for a decade or so, as long as it takes until Eco-Technology allows us to travel with nature and not against it. If we don't dramatically reduce our inefficient and unsustainable ways there will be no airlines anymore, no island resorts to holiday upon, no concerts to experience and no electricity to power a non civilization. Actions like these would quick smart force corporations and manufacturers to create and evolve less greedy products.
What would happen if we all stopped buying battery farmed eggs and chickens and chose free-range organic instead, sacrificing eating cheap cruelly farmed eggs for a week and buying the more expensive natural eggs every second week? There may be a power in having lots of money to spend, but there's a greater power in not spending it.

Wouldn't the pollution released by touring bands be more than made up for in the environmental message their music carries?

For decades musicians, artists and activists have sung written and rallied for change and some changes have occurred, but mainly on the surface. For everything we've done thus far generally the status quo remains. War continues, terrorism is on the rise, famine and poverty still affects billions and pollution and waste is increasing. The old-money rich are still getting richer and creating laws and economic situations so the money and power always falls back in their hands. The nuclear and coal industries are expanding, weapons sales are booming, unsustainable consumerism is more popular than ever, forests are still shrinking, fresh water is still decreasing, ice caps are still melting and climate change is now a reality to most species.
Coldplay planted some trees in India to offset the emissions from one of their tours, half the trees died in the first couple of years. Yes plant back diverse forests, yet not as a way to continue to pollute guilt free.

The message from us has been great to create a certain awareness and set our ego's on an environmental and social moral high ground, but we have offset hardly anything.
People are still flying around the world on holidays though they are aware this is bad for the environment. First-world people continue to buy Nike runners made in third-world sweatshops and other goods made from slave labor though they are aware. Somewhere in the world a new McDonalds opens every 17 hours though people are aware the food is unhealthy for them and the environment. People know the war in Iraq is a lie and largely about oil yet they continue to consume oil at an increasing rate rather than try and use as little as possible. I'm sure you can all think of many more examples.


I simply feel that leading by example, to ones best abilities in this manipulated and codependent world, is the best way to gain a sustainable respect and influence with the masses. I'm not saying Echelon has got all the answers, but what we've done so far isn't working to our satisfaction, it hasn't brought us peace of mind and humanity is in danger of extinguishing itself in a number of different ways. We can't expect the corporations and governments to make the radical changes we know are so necessary, we need to be that radical change, we need to be the climate change.

Why do you disagree with Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth when your message is somewhat similar?

Because Hollywood's Truth does not resonate with me, it doesn't resonate with a lot of other people either, it doesn't feel like the answer that will save the planet. The planet doesn't need saving, people don't need saving, that's something Superman does. For all our heroics throughout history humanity is in peril as is recognized by itself.
I don't need to be saved by Al Gore or Schwarzenegger, George Bush or Hillary Clinton, a war-on-terror or some religion. Perhaps for the first time in our evolution, we the people, the common folk, the poor, the middle-class, the wealthy in spirit will take back the power that we give away. The renewable communal power inside each one of us.

The other powers-that-be, the politicians and globalization corporations are doing all they can to keep the status quo so that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer farmed for their money like sheep. Yes Al Gore is taking action, on behalf of who or should I spell it this way, NWO?

What ideas do you have towards an environmentally friendly music industry?

Evolve a paper and petroleum-based-plastic free industry where digital downloads are the main form of distribution. In Australia our government/corporation still logs old growth forests both here and abroad to make woodchips, which are shipped to Japan to make paper. The fiber in pine trees, aka mono-cultured pine plantations, is too short and hardwood is used in the mix for its longer fibers.
The computer age thus far has not brought about a paperless society it has only increased the use of paper, and recycling has not stopped forests from being destroyed and involves highly polluting and inefficient processes. And hundreds of thousands of poor and innocent people have died for those crude oil plastic covers and fossil fueled flights of vacation, for our luxuries.
Compact disk sales far exceed vinyl sales yet people treasure their vinyl far greater than a made-to-break CD. Thus CD's create more waste so why create more? Keep your vinyl, I love them too, but my music as an artist was intended to be digital and the fans seem quite happy with the sound. Perhaps one day Echelon shall afford the indulgence of limited edition renewable vinyl records.

Develop mobile battery banks, rather than using fossil fueled generators or mainline coal power, to electrify outdoor concerts. The battery banks could be charged beforehand on solar/wind farms. Plus we could renovate existing permanent venues to be power-self-reliant.
Fully electric cars to tour in, powered from ones solar paneled house would be great if it wasn't being suppressed.

If nobody else is going to change why should I make sacrifices?

If everyone thinks this way then few things will change, yet I know so many people who do think this way. I know others who are scared of all this war and environmental degradation and want to bury their heads in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist. Millions of others, who through their nature suppressant religions, want Armageddon to happen and Christ to return. Folks who think changing a light bulb and taking shorter showers is going to fix things and people who think there's no hope at all.
I also know many others, many of you reading this, who have the courage to be self-empowered, have a yearning to become universally aware and a passion for this amazing time in human evolution that we dance in.
And we are uniting with individual responsibility driven by a deeper nature to evolve this revolution of revolutions into reality. Until the real shadow government, us, and peoples heartfelt awareness become the popular culture.

How did you come across my page?

Synchronicity.

Motives tend to be personal, not global. What are yours, honestly?

Echelon's motives are to trade only digital downloads because mass produced petroleum plastic CD's are reaching their use-by peak-oil date. Moving and influencing as many people as happens. To encourage the decentralization of power and for example: build renewable power-self-reliant villages and transport helping to evolve a confident self-empowered society. Encouraging a restructuring of economics to share the wealth.
To inspire folks to power their own destiny and not trust it to Echelon, the government, a religion, the media or anyone else. Grace is to surrender, yet only to our hearts, to take counsel in their silent truths, spoken not in words nor halves.
To lead by example, but an example not to lead. Be your own idol, find your own power, you're equal.
To be a vein on the butterfly wings that influence a hurricane of revolution.
To promote not a one world order, but a one world community.
To find personal fulfillment in following ones benevolent passions and encourage others to follow the power of their passions and think for themselves and of themselves as the whole.
To attend a well that springs forth from some unknown deep inner recess which overflows my very being.

If we are aware that we are One as quantum physics observes, then personal is not only global, personal is universal by default.

What hope has an independent got when four giant corporations monopolize the music industry?

The giant music corporations monopolize nothing but an illusion.

I think it's fantastic that I can record studio quality at home, awesome that I can share my music and expressions with the world on the internet and discover fans on the other side of the world. That I'm able to sell my music as digital downloads online and be my own label and control my own destiny. Yet, mostly that I'm able to create it and enjoy it for myself.
Musicians, beginners or greats, have far more ways and freedoms to express themselves now than ever before.

There can only be ten songs in a Top Ten Chart at any given time, now this creates a real problem with the competition of thousands of new songs released every week globally if your motive is to get into those Top Tens and sell lots of units, make lots of money, be a rockstar.
Fuck the monopoly of the Top 10, Top 40, biggest rockstar, best band, highest album sales, best video. It's a battle royale trying to get there unless your music stands out like Jesus wrote it or you have the most money to sell it to sell it.

When we see a bottleneck on the road we either drive into it and get stuck or we drive around it, when we see a bottleneck in music most either struggle to get anywhere or swing around the other side of the Top Ten where the soul of music sings round a camp fire, drums to the dancers and hums laying in the shade. Where we simply play music, live music, dance to music and love music for the love of music as if we were blindfolded. Composing for the love of composing, expressing for the love and need of expression, no matter how large an audience, a baby or a stadium. No matter the amount of records sold, a dozen or platinum. Silently writing alone in your bedroom or belting it out from the back of a flatbed truck at a festival. We all play for different reasons, and for better the diversity.

If you want to be a rockstar it's a rocky path, your fame is an illusion created with hype and is often fleeting. If you just want to be a musician, be a musician, let your music reach who it's meant to reach, let it move who it moves. Let it play where it plays, let it be the whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, let it be you, let it be universal rather than shelved.

How do you propose to implement this campaign?

Though Echelon is working to help initiate a dramatic climate change within the music industry, it is not up to Echelon Corp to wholly implement the plan for others. This is about getting self-starters, people, bands, artists and companies to implement changes for themselves, for their own good, for their families good and for that of earths. Growing numbers have already begun.