Ballroom Dancing

Photo by Gary Miller

Green Touring: Stupid, Dumb, or Best Idea Ever?

Green is on everyone's mind these days, making it a cute move on the Conference organizers' part to schedule this panel on St. Patrick's Day. The panelists, led by Creeper Lagoon founder Sharky Laguana, were full of ideas both practical and idealistic for musicians wanting to green their tours. Erin Potts, executive director of Air Traffic Control Education Fund, pointed out that 80% of carbon emissions from concerts comes from fans, so bands should consider booking venues near public transportation, encourage carpooling, and ask for bike racks in front of venues or get local bike coalitions to arrange bike valets. Sub Pop artist Ben Sollee, a cellist and singer-songwriter whose latest album aims to raise awareness about strip-mining in Appalachia, spoke about the pros and cons of bike touring. He claimed that the struggle with bike tours is arranging a density of shows to financially sustain himself; his most recent bike tour saw him break even. Brian Allenby, general manager of nonprofit Reverb, a greening outreach program, had a very simple, resounding takeaway: It doesn't have to be all or nothing. There is a wide spectrum of small steps that bands and their fans can take to green the process of touring.