music

Calling all musicians! What happens when you break a string? You toss them in the trash, right? Most people do, and these strings are contributing to the more than 1.5 million pounds of string metal sitting in landfills every year....

What does sustainability and playing harp have in common? Passion. At least for one amazing woman. So often, children with musical or athletic talents are urged to find ‘practical’ careers to fill in the gaps for financial security. We hear...

I'm a long-time Jack Johnson fan and as the years go by I seem to appreciate him more and more. There is just something about the cute native Hawaiian's soothing voice and sweet often quirky lyrics that makes you want to stop sweating the small stuff, and go make some banana pancakes.  For me and many fellow fans Jack Johnson = mellow. And who couldn't use a little more of that feeling? The fact that he is one of the most environmentally conscious artists around just puts the guy over the top. In Between Dreams and Brushfire Fairytales will probably always be my favorite albums but his latest From Here to Now to You includes some repeat worthy tunes as well. Johnson's green efforts on his last few tours have garnered attention from us and other environmentalists. And it seems like he and his crew (Johnson credits his wife, Kim, for many of the initiatives)  are hoping to make his current 2013 tour the greenest yet. Read on to learn about what Johnson and crew are doing to advocate environmentalism on tour.

The Hemp Heals Music Festival returns to Philly on September 7 at the Festival Pier! Hemp Heals was founded to spread awareness of Hemp as an industrial product and promote holistic approaches to living & eating healthy. Hemp has a variety of advantages environmentally and is different (and often confused) with its redneck cousin marijuana. Find out who's playing and how you can win FREE tickets, after the jump!

As Alex mentioned about his green Bonnaroo experience, the ultimate camping & music festival mecca has it all figured out. As a contrast, I experienced Firefly Festival as a first time participant for both Dover Delaware and any camping festival. Although Firefly marketed itself as green, I was wary of their claims. Here’s how Firefly Festival can learn from Bonnaroo and (hopefully) improve for 2014:

A few weeks ago, I went to Bonnaroo for the first time. Between the music, people, and positive energy, there was a lot to love. But one of the things I loved most about Bonnaroo wasn’t any of that – it was the efforts they made to lessen their environmental impact. Bonnaroo sets the standard for green music festivals across the world. This year, they won the Pursuit of Excellence Award from the governor of Tennessee, which recognizes previous Environmental Stewardship award winners who continue to demonstrate environmentally friendly practices. There are many ways Bonnaroo maintains its environmentally friendly reputation. Here’s what they do:

After recently attending the Mann Center's "Down the Abbey Road" Tweetcert, I'm beyond psyched for "Blue Planet Live"! On July 27th at 8:30 PM, The Russian National Orchestra takes the stage for the eco-friendly, outdoor Mann’s classical season finale. The Orchestra will provide classical scores conducted by (find out more about the show, and how to get free tickets to another Mann show, after the jump!)

Last night, I enjoyed a lovely evening out for the Philadelphia Orchestra's Planet Earth Live show at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. Images of wildlife, seasons, Mt Everest, and the tundra were beautifully accompanied by the Orchestra's music. Some of the most beautiful scenes were of caves (who knew you could skydive into some of them?!?) and the polar bears playing were definitely drawing 'oohs & ahhs from the crowd. Composer George Fenton set up each piece by previewing why each location was significant and what we'd be seeing next. What was more fitting was that this show took place in the open air Mann Center on a beautiful summer night... and the Mann recently launched a new green initiative to celebrate 75 years of music in the park! Green changes the Mann has implemented include:

The band Cake has been making music for over a decade. These days, they’re known as one of the greenest bands in the world. In an age where some artists are emitting carbon like it’s their job – Cake’s efforts are pretty darn refreshing. In 2008 the band converted it's Sacramento recording studio to run 100 percent from solar energy. Some of Cake’s other green initiatives include: