The life of a musician is known for its excesses. But the abuse stars do to their bodies doesn’t even compare to the toll that recording, releasing and performing music takes on the environment: Just one stadium show might produce as much as 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
Rock and Roll used to be about excess. Loud, sweaty, wild, sexy musicians that didn’t give a damn about anything but making music. Well times have changed. With more and more musicians organizing “carbon neutral tours”, packaging their albums in recycled materials and some are even using solar power to record their music. Possibly using sustainable guitars.
“Rolling Stone”, a U.S.-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture, recently published a list of the 15 most eco-friendly rockers.
The good news is that increasingly artists are attempting to take responsibility and move toward greener alternatives, either by cutting back on their use of harmful products like fuel and plastic or by devoting time and money to promoting environmental causes.
The List of Rolling Stone Magazine includes big names from the likes of Radiohead, Drake, Phish, the Roots, Green Day, Sheryl Crowe and others.
But it's not just the rockers who tend to go green. Richie Hawtin (AKA Plastikman) and Minus have pledged to give back to the planet by bringing green to the world of electronic music. Hawtin recently gave an interview to Beatport about his plans, check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ8qjV21aZs
In Germany, a big organisation puts the topic on it's main agenda and pushes for more sustainable concerts, tours and music production:
The Green Music Initiative.
