Whether you're grooving at an outdoor concert or listening to tunes on your iPod, our tips this week will help you express your environmentalism through music.
Tip #1: Support Green Musicians
Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson is known for his efforts to reduce the environmental impact of his tours by traveling in biofuel buses, purchasing carbon offsets, selling ecofriendly merchandise, and using his celebrity status to promote green causes. Johnson isn't the only musician looking out for the earth: Check out Sierra magazine to find a list of new musicians with eco-cred. Visit Climate Crossroads to get free downloads from Missy Higgins, The Giving Tree Band, and Minus Ted.
Tip #2: Make Your Own Instruments
Tip #3: Go to Green Concerts
Tip #4: Recycle Your CDs
Share your tips: What songs are in your ecoTunes playlist?
You MUST add Guster to this list. Please investigate all they do to have "green" tours. They are amazing!
Posted by: Sabrina Ericastilla | July 13, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Thanks for the list, but don't forget us unknowns who are also contributing to ecomusic.
Click on the link.
Posted by: David E. Corbin | July 13, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Playing acoustic instruments is a very eco-friendly activity. You can be creative without all sorts of materials, by-products, and manufactured goods. My piano is almost 100 years old now. I almost never buy anything new to support my playing.
Posted by: Martha L. Miller | July 13, 2009 at 11:13 AM
The Green Children
http://www.thegreenchildren.com/index.html/
http://www.myspace.com/greenchildrenmusic
Posted by: Rick | July 13, 2009 at 11:22 AM
I agree with all that is stated above, but I cannot help but prefer Joni Mitchell's song from the early 1970's, "Big Yellow Taxi", where she says, "Give me spots on the apples, but leave me the birds and the bees. Ya pave paradise and put up a parking lot". Pretty prophetic for the 1970s, and even more true today...
Posted by: Maureen Murphy | July 13, 2009 at 11:38 AM
I am a serious eco friendly musician I have never had a drivers license or car. I only take mass transit or bike to play. This reminds me of earthday concerts drawing thousands in private cars, ironic to say the least. Hypocrites giving lip service yay!
Posted by: Bill lewis | July 13, 2009 at 04:00 PM
I'm playing my mother's crank organ, "Scharmanka", which was built in my hometown, based on 250 year-old technology. So, if you see your friendly organ grinder on the street, support our low-tech art. Feed the (stuffed) monkey, give us a dollar, and maybe ask if we're thirsty and bring us a glass of water, if we ran out. We play and sing without a microphone or amp, no electricity. All wind power, when we pump the bellows and make the music come to life.
Organ Grinder Lola & Master Bob!
Posted by: Organ Grinder Lola! | July 13, 2009 at 05:51 PM
I love Jack Johnson. It's great to find out he lives green.
Posted by: Gloria | July 14, 2009 at 04:36 PM
Widespread Panic's bus operates on bio-fuel.
Posted by: George | July 14, 2009 at 05:30 PM
Musicians have always spoken for/with a progressive segment of society and will continue to do so.
www.treesonfire.com
Posted by: Paul Rosner | July 14, 2009 at 07:01 PM
WHAT?
billboard magazine puts out a greenwash add and sierra club passes it on like pablum?
green? well only if its a shade of puke green.
bad sierra club, very bad. no donation for you!
Posted by: john doe | July 15, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Midnight Oil.
Posted by: jpnairn | July 15, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Ted Nugent? The guy who likes to unwind by running around the woods slaying anything that moves with a bow and arrow - cause it helps him "unwind?"
No thank you.
Posted by: Pbrayton | July 15, 2009 at 12:38 PM
The Bill Martin Tune recorded by the Turtles and on Dan Fogelberg's last album called "Earth Anthem". It is a tune that definitely stands the test of time.
Posted by: HApplin | July 15, 2009 at 01:25 PM
If Ted Nugent is on the list its a joke, that guy is the exact opposite of John Muir.
Posted by: Jann | July 15, 2009 at 02:51 PM
John Prine for Paradise.
The Byrds for Hungry Earth.
U2 for several songs.
Posted by: CyberCelt | July 17, 2009 at 01:13 AM
Bill Lewis, you're fortunate that you have the option of taking mass transit or biking to wherever you need to be. You must live in a major metropolitan area. Unfortunately, those of us who live in the "boonies" don't have such options. To us, "mass transit" means carpooling, not taking a bus or a subway, and not even carpooling is always available, and places are so far apart that biking or walking isn't always the practical option.
I wholeheartedly agree that Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" belongs in an eco-music "Hall of Fame." That was, perhaps, the first eco-song ever recorded, at least the first one I can recall making the "Top 40." I also agree that including Ted ("Kill! Kill! Kill!") Nugent on ANY eco-conscious song list is an absolute JOKE! Many of the songs John Denver recorded also belong on any list of eco-conscious tunes. I must admit, though, that I'm not all that familiar with today's music artists.
You're right, Paul Rosner, when you say that, "Musicians have always spoken for/with a progressive segment of society and will continue to do so." Amen to that!
Posted by: Linda A. | July 17, 2009 at 04:08 AM
Sting!
Got to admire the man and all his love& effort to save the rainforest.
Posted by: Kara Dokupil | July 17, 2009 at 08:26 AM
For the ultimate tale of Man vs Cactus, the ballad "Sagauro" by the Austin Lounge Lizards (on their Creature from the Black Saloon) is un paralleled. True story. Sometimes nature wins against Man's stupidity.
http://www.austinlizards.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Saguaro/dp/B001TOF43Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1248049203&sr=8-3
Posted by: Sue Jonez | July 19, 2009 at 05:20 PM
I have to agree with others who have objected to the presence of Ted Nugent. Very disappointing to see this hateful man on anyone's playlist, let alone one posted by the Sierra Club.
Posted by: rkjunebug | July 19, 2009 at 07:57 PM