Reverb Promotes Environmental Education Through Rock Music

With all the cars on the road, water bottles being drunk and discarded, and electricity needed to create a stage show, rock performances are typically far from what you’d call eco-friendly. But one Portland, Maine-based nonprofit organization, Reverb, is working to turn rock star indulgence into environmental consciousness—and so far, they’ve done a pretty amazing job, helping bands and their followers eliminate more than 55,000 tons of carbon.

The group, founded in 2005 by Guster guitarist Adam Gardner and his wife, Lauren Sullivan, works to help rock bands implement eco-friendly initiatives like converting their tour buses to use biodiesel fuel, using only carbon-neutral venues, promoting ways for their fans to share rides and reduce waste, and hooking up with eco-friendly corporate sponsors. The small nonprofit group has worked with a huge variety of musicians, including the Dave Matthews Band, Bonnie Raitt, Kelly Clarkson, the Barenaked Ladies, and Fall Out Boy.

Reverb has also organized a series of “Campus Consciousness” shows featuring artists including Guster and Ben Folds, which tour college campuses around the U.S. In addition to the bands’ live performances, the group hosts screenings of documentary films about the environment, and Gardner participates in Q-and-A sessions about going green with the students.

While the music industry is badly in need of an eco-makeover, Reverb’s mission goes beyond that. By encouraging popular musicians to green their tours, the bands can then reach their fans with a positive message about living a sustainable lifestyle. Through their work, millions of music fans gain exposure to environmental education—and as anyone would tell you, a rock concert makes for a far more fun learning environment than a classroom.