JIM CARROLLlooks at how 10 eco-friendly rock and pop stalwarts have gone eco-friendly.
Jack Johnson
The Hawaiian-born surfer singer-songwriter is surely the world’s most eco-friendly pop star. All releases on his Brushfire label are recorded using solar energy and packaged with 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper.
On the road, Johnson uses biodiesel-powered tour buses and generators, encourages recycling at venues, and offsets any remaining C02 emissions to ensure a carbon-netrual tour. He even produces a report on how the latter was achieved.
He is also co-founder of the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which supports green education in Hawaiian schools. Truly as green as Kermit the Frog.
Orbital
Now back together after a five-year hiatus, the electronic music-making Hartnoll brothers may also be set to resume the eco-commentary long incorporated into their work.
Such tracks as Forever and You Lot contain sampled speeches on environmental issues, while The Girl With the Sun in Her Head from 1996’s In Sides album was recorded in a studio powered by CYRUS, Greenpeace’s mobile solar power generator.
Song titles such as Kein Trink Wasser (“no drinking water” in German) and P.E.T.R.O.L. continue the theme.
Neil Young
Young used biodiesel to fuel the 15 trucks and buses he had on the road when he was touring the ecologically minded Greendale album in the US in 2004.
His LincVolt project follows efforts to convert his 1959 Lincoln Continental into an eco-friendly, fuel-efficient vehicle. Young’s latest album, Fork in the Road, is loosely based on this project and contains attacks on the US automobile industry for its lack of interest in environmental issues.
Electric Picnic
In recent years, every festival in the world seems to be brandishing its green credentials as a badge of honour. The organisers of the annual Electric Picnic in Stradbally, Co Laois have put together a Sustainability Team to advice on how to reduce the festival’s carbon footprint.
This includes monitoring and reducing energy consumption, recycling programmes, the use of eco cups, asking traders to use eco-friendly packaging, and encouraging the use of public transport by festivalgoers.
Last year, the festival won a Greener Festival International Award for its green strategies.
Radiohead
Radiohead are one of the more diligent acts when it comes to reducing their impact on the environment.
They’ve promoted the idea of city-based gigs over festivals such as Glastonbury to ensure audiences can use available public transport. They also maintain separate equipment for European and US tours to lessen transport emissions and used a LED lighting system on the road to reduce their power needs.
Aside from trying to keep his Oxford house as eco-friendly as possible, singer Thom Yorke has also supported and contributed to various campaigns, such as Friends of the Earth’s Big Ask project.
Feist
The Canadian singer and occasional Broken Social Scene member is one of the acts who has worked with the eco-friendly Green Owl label.
Founded by Ben Brewer, the New York-based label seeks to do things in an environmentally sustainable way by focusing on digital releases (physical products are released on 100 per cent post-consumer paper) and working to carbon neutralise its operations.
Feist featured on the Green Owl Comp collection. All proceeds from the album benefited the Energy Action Coalition project, which encourages kids to get involved in green activities.
Damien Rice
The singer-songwriter has a strong track record when it comes to eco issues.
He curated the Big Tree stage at 2006’s Electric Picnic, after which 20 native trees were planted by the Native Woodland Trust for every act that performed on the stage. He has also worked and fund-raised for the Global Green movement advocating green buildings and cities.
Last month, Rice took a hands-on role when he promoted a tree-planting project at Dublin’s Dartmouth Square.
Peter Garrett
A passionate advocate for various green issues when he was lead singer with Midnight Oil, Garrett was given the chance to put his principles into action when he was appointed Australia’s Minister for the Environment in 2007.
However, the former president of the Australian Conservation Foundation and Greenpeace International board member has already come a cropper with many environmental activists.
He angered many with his decisions to dredge Melbourne’s Port Philip Bay and approve a major uranium mining project in South Australia.
Green Day
The world’s favourite snarly punk rock trio work closely with the Natural Resources Defence Council, a US environmental group.
Aside from donors receiving a 100 per cent-recycled metal Green day and NRDC dogtag, the group have been heavily involved in the “Move America Beyond Oil” campaign to promote and raise awareness of clean, renewable energy sources.
Green Day have also brought Greenpeace and USA Harvest reps on tour to talk to their fans and promote their causes.
Willie Nelson
The maverick country star had the best of intentions when he was involved in the launch of the Bio-Willie biodisel fuel in 2004.
As one of the main movers behind Farm Aid, Nelson hoped to “put five million farmers back on the land growing fuel and keeping us from having to start wars for oil”.
However, despite having up to 22 outlets stocking the fuel, costs outweighed revenue, losses mounted up ($63 million in 2006) and Nelson resigned as director.
Undeterred by this setback, he is now a major fundraiser for the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance.
