Sting – eco-hypocrite

His wife finally put her hands up and admitted what we knew all along.

Al Gore, Leonardo di Caprio, Sienna Miller, Trudie Styler AKA Mrs Sting.
What do they all have in common?
They have all tried to tell us how eco they are and how we should live our lives whilst ending up with embarrassing ‘Gotcha’ moments in the press.

I always have to be careful not to preach in this blog, because I am wholly aware that I am in no way perfect.

Like the vast majority I have good intentions (which are fast leading me to hell) and am forever seeking out alternative products and methods which I can then share with readers.

In keeping with the by-line of my blog, I have my fair share of low ethical moments and just by even writing on Journallive, I get jokey comments from other parents if I drive the children to school or am caught with a plastic bag, so I have learnt to be very careful indeed on how I put myself across.

Let’s look at local Geordie boy Sting and Trudie Styler though, because whilst I really don’t care how they live their lives, they have been among the more vocal of eco-warriors.

It is reported that Miss Styler, was in London, giving press interviews about her organic food range that she sells through Selfridges and extolling the benefits of locally-grown food.

Here are a number of little things that she forgot to mention:

She was accused in a recent tribunal of forcing her chef to travel 100 miles to prepare a bowl of pasta.

The organic food she grows on the Italian-estate has to be transported to London for sale in Selfridges.

They travel between their seven homes in private jets or their fleet of cars.

Experts estimate that the couple's carbon footprint is 30 times greater than the average Briton's.

Environmental experts labelled Sting's band, The Police, the dirtiest in the world because of the amount of pollution created during last year's reunion tour of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Germany, the UK, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan.

These issues were put to her by a Journalist at the conference to which it is reported that she responded:

"When it comes to the carbon footprint, Sting puts his hand up immediately and says 'I'm a musician and I have a huge carbon-footprint", "He has a 750-person crew to bring around the world and it is a difficult challenge - Are we being hypocritical?”

Errr I would answer yes to that one and I would suggest that if you wish to stop being branded as hypocrites then you and that other irritating ‘do as I say not as I do’ musician, Chris Martin, from Coldplay, stop giving press conferences and glossy magazine interviews on your ‘green lifestyles’.

Just before I published this week's blog, I decided I'd better double check exactly what Sting has said recently on the environment so that myself and the Journal didn't get sued.

There was a transcript from a televised G8 Environment debate that Sting took part in with Jonathan Dimbleby on the web – lets just see if his actions match his words?

Jonathan Dimbleby: "You've been talking about these issues and campaigning about them for a very, very long time. You haven't exactly been polite about President Bush's contribution so far. Do you think it can be done without America or not?"

Sting: "No, I don't think it can. I think we need to convince Mr Bush that global warming is in fact a reality. 2005, according to NASA, will be the hottest summer on record. The second hottest summer on record was 2004. The facts speak for themselves. It's complicated science but we can see what is happening."

Jonathan Dimbleby: "You say you have to be optimistic. That's because you think they are getting the message and you hope that President Bush is also getting the message?"

Sting: "I want him to get the message. His scientists are telling him the same thing. He needs to listen."

So Sting, are you listening? Are you getting the message?

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