Sebastian's From the UK: Green Live Music

For as long as I can remember, musicians have been catalysts for social change and activism. These days, an increasing number of artists like John Mayer, The Fray, Bon Jovi, Green Day, Radiohead and Incubus are working with environmental organizations such as Reverb, Heal the Bay and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to take new initiatives to revamp and “green” their concerts — both on and offstage. The music industry contributes 150,000 tons of carbon emissions annually through tour buses alone, according to Wren Aigaki-Lander of MusicMatters, a greening marketing agency that helps touring artists make eco-friendly choices while on the road. A single stadium show can contribute 500 to 1,000 tons of CO2 emissions, not including fan transportation, and then there’s the garbage. A typical mid-size venue can go through 470,000 plastic cups, 200,000 napkins and 600 light bulbs each year, not to mention the 24,000 plastic bags that will hold it all.

Turning this around is the focus of a new generation of musicians and promoters. “The music industry has a huge potential for social and environmental change,” says Lander. In support of this, the past summer has seen alot of green festivals around the US, UK and Europe. Artists, performers and audiences are more aware than ever about the impact these large events have on the surrounding landscape. Festivals that spring to mind include: Glastonbury (while I was enjoying myself this year, I did notice much more work being done to encourage recycling, energy saving or alternative energy sources to power the events and also many messages from performing bands about trying to help the planet and help ourselves), The Electric Picnic, Reading Festival, Oxygen, T in the Park, V Festival, Virgin Festival, truck festival and others. The company Reverb is at the forefront of pushing these changes through working with artists like John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson, Ben Folds, Dave Matthews and others.

So what can you do to help?  Whenever you are at gigs in your area, please ask the organizers and other participants to recycle. When going to hear your favourite band, please car pool or use public transport. Many bands now offer organic and bamboo t-shirts, so choose these over regular shirts. Every little bit helps and both fans and bands can make a HUGE difference. And for the weekend, download a Diplo remix of that amazing Marlena Shaw track - Californian Soul. Enjoy the weekend!