TreeHugger Asks: Who's Your Favorite Green Musician?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02. 1.07
TreeHugger recently consulted with Domino Magazine on an upcoming green issue, and to celebrate, we'll be having a launch party later this month (more details will follow). At the party, we'd like to have a mix of green-oriented music: bands supporting alternative fuels and energy, taking a stand against global warming, lending their name and their time to help green the planet, etc. We've got a pretty good list started, but would love any further ideas from you, our readers. Here's who we have so far (links are to TH coverage of the artist or to the artist's site, where designated):
- Barenaked Ladies (artist's site & R E V E R B)
- Cloud Cult
- Coldplay
- David Gilmour
- Gomez
- Guster (artist's site & R E V E R B, co-founded by singer/guitarist Adam Gardner)
- Sarah Harmer
- Ben Harper (artist's site)
- Jack Johnson
- Dave Matthews Band (also involved with R E V E R B
- Pearl Jam
- Radiohead/Thom Yorke (Radiohead's artist site & Thom Yorke in "The Big Ask")
- Kelley Stoltz
Hope for Agoldensummer is an Athens, GA based band whose music is fantastic, and commitment to green equally cool (their cds and shirts have been done in the greenest way possible and they do lots of benefits for likeminded folks). It's one thing for big bands to commit to making their cds green, or do benefits for alternative energy/social causes, but quite another when much smaller bands make those decisions.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=3113370
How about KT Tunstall?
it would be nice to have bits about guitar (and other instrument) makers and musicians who are practicing the use of sustainable forest productss instead of third-world clear-cut mahogany and the like.
Jack Johnson seems to be the musician who does the most for environmental causes.
WILLIE NELSON is tragically missing from your list.
Magpie
Protium
Why, Moby, of course! Here's an interview he gave on the environment on British television.
There's a great nonprofit that works with several of these bands as well as some of the biggest names in Rock and that nonprofit is Rock the Earth (www.RockTheEarth.org).
Rock the Earth, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, national public interest environmental advocacy organization, is committed to protecting and defending America's natural resources through partnerships with the music industry and the world-wide environmental community.
Rock the Earth works closely with the music industry and its fans, many of whom are concerned with the fate of our public lands, air and water. They act as advocates to ensure the existence of a sustainable and healthy environment for all. Further, they aim to represent those individuals and communities whose environment or natural surroundings are directly and adversely affected by the actions of others. Through partnerships with artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt, Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, and Bon Jovi, Rock the Earth educates and activates fans to pursue a vision of global sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Rock the Earth was THE environmental nonprofit on the DMB Summer 2006 tour as well as the only nonprofit who worked the entire Jack Johnson 2005 tour.
Check 'em out at www.RockTheEarth.org and join the growing movement of environmentally minded music fans!
Dave Matthews is so environmentally friendly that he recycles his poop by dumping it from the tour bus directly into the river and boat passengers that happen to be traveling underneath!
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0825042_dave_matthews_1.html
Michael Franti & Spearhead - not only green, but holistically angelic, focusing on earth and human well-being. see his trip to Iraq
Hot Buttered Rum String Band, with songs and their veggie powered bus
Declining Amphibian Phenomenon (fabulous activist hiphop duo)
I also wanted to second the addition of Willie Nelson
And sweet Joan Baez was recently tree-sitting to save the South Central Farm in LA...
Ozomatli also performed to benefit the farm I believe.
and Libby Roderick, a sweet folkie from Alaska who belongs to the below organization...
and I thought this link might be appropriate for those interested in this subject... http://www.musemusic.org/
Oh! I forgot to mention Alanis Morrisette hosted an awareness video on Global Climate Change... she is yet another Rock the Earth member as well.
And to add to Michael Franti, he is on the Advisory board for Rock the Earth. And again, is lovely.
And Hot Buttered Rum has been pretty active with RtE as well, with great support for Hetch Hetchy!
MOBY
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
DEVENDRA BANHART
my vote goes to jeff ott, from the band fifteen.
check hcpunk band from Poland, Lodz City - www.skocz.pl/envisage and go vegan! :]
I bought the album "One Land One Heart" from Musicians United to Sustain the Environment (M. U. S. E.). It has a lot of good music and some less so (personal taste). My fav is "We want the Whole Thing Back" by Dakota Sid.
They are grassroots. www.musemusic.org
"(MUSE) is a rapidly growing non-profit environmental organization with two primary goals. First, we raise funds for effective grassroots environmental projects through CD sales, concerts, and public donations. Secondly, as we ply our musical craft, we heighten environmental awareness -- a vital step to help ensure the sustainable stewardship of our ecosystems
"We are particularly interested in efforts to protect endangered or threatened species and preserve existing wilderness habitats. Also, our emphasis is on environmental education for our young -- the soon-to-be stewards of our natural heritage.
Rise Against, a hard-rock punk band, is rather passionate about the enironment. The first video that was released from their latest album quite graphically portrayed all types of destruction of living things. From animal cruelty to pollution to clear-cutting, the video was very shocking and really drove home the message about what we are doing to this world. Find it on YouTube and watch at your own discretion. All members of the band are also vegan and support PETA. I'd post more about them but that's all I know off the top of my head.
It second or third the Moby motion...
Plus he's a local.
Locals should stick together.
Dave Matthews is another, because he's a Wetlands alumni, and with him walks a lot of history.
The party's to be held in NYC, right?
Not in Spain or somewhere?
Rem
Sound Tribe Sector 9!
Blue Man Group has a campaign to inform people about global warming:
http://www.blueman.com/earth/
Unfortunately, there instruments are made from PVC which is a nasty substance.
What about Green Day? They are currently partnering with the NRDC and are really big on enviromental issues.
Meadowman may not be well known, but he may be the greenest of them all: his whole act is dedicated to nature themes:
http://www.myspace.com/ricksmeadow
Bonnie Raitt
Raitt helped to found Musicians United for Safe Energy, a group fighting the use of nuclear power,
and has been arrested twice during protests on behalf of ancient forests.
Check out Eric Maddern too - great music with an environmental theme. His new album set to be released end of April is entitled 'Rare and Precious Earth - songs to restore the earth'. Eric runs the stunningly beautiful eco retreat centre 'Cae Mabon' in North Wales. Some of his music from previous album 'Full of Life' is downlodable from indiestore.com, for further information look up www.ericmaddern.co.uk or www.caemabon.co.uk.
I'm chinese.I want to find the meaning of carbon-neutral .then I know how to translation it.
JACK JOHNSON ALL THE WAY.