Earth Day and Music: Are You A "Green" Musician?

To celebrate Earth Day today, we encourage you to think about the following question: Are you a “green” musician?

These days, many in the music industry are doing their part to help the environment.  Growing lists of artists are “going green”: making sure tours are as eco-friendly as possible, heading up environmental campaigns, and taking the time to educate their employees, fans, and venues. Music festivals like Seattle’s Bumbershoot offer hydration stations to reduce the use of plastic water bottles and fill the grounds with recycling bins.  Solar-powered recording studios are gaining momentum, and the band Cake even completed their 2011 album, “Showroom of Compassion,” using 100% solar energy.

So what can students and teachers do?  You may not be traveling the country with fuel-guzzling tour buses, but there are still ways to ensure you’re doing your part.  Here are a few Earth Day ideas for musicians:

– If you download sheet music, print on both sides of the paper when possible.
– All that sheet music you don’t ever look at?  Pass it along to other students who may want it, or at the very least, recycle it.
– iPad users: consider downloading sheet music directly to your device to save on paper.
– Turn off amps, recording equipment and other electronics when not in use.
– Buy music online, as opposed to driving to the store and buying a packaged and shipped CD
– Recycle the CDs you no longer listen to, instead of throwing them away. (Check out the CD Recycling Center of America to learn more.)
– Heading to a concert or festival?  Carpool there, and bring your own reusable water bottle instead of purchasing a plastic bottle.
– Support green musicians!  Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews and Missy Higgins are just a few musicians who are outspoken with environmental initiatives.