Many musicians in today’s world have taken up a cause to raise awareness with fans. From Elton John’s AIDS Foundation [1] to Eminem’s Marshall Mathers Foundation [2], artists often use their fame to help solve issues they find personal interest in. For Maroon 5, environmental awareness is at the top of the list.
For the last five years, Maroon 5 has partnered with the non-profit organization REVERB to create “green” tours, raise money for local environmental awareness groups, and broaden the public’s knowledge about the green movement [3].
On Maroon 5’s recent Honda Civic Tour, REVERB took countless steps to offset the impacts of the band’s carbon footprint from compostable dining utensils to eco-friendly cleaners. To name a few statistics REVERB recycled 7,740 gallons of materials to keep out of landfills, prevented the use of 10,613 disposable water bottles, and contributed 727 metric tons of carbon offset! For this last goal, REVERB calculated the carbon emissions from the tour trucks, buses, planes, and more and offset the effects through support of a carbon illuminating project in Kenya that also provides locals with clean drinking water [3].
In addition to helping Maroon 5 contribute to the movement, REVERB also got the public involved by raising awareness for environmental friendliness. To do so, the organization set up eco-villages at each concert to teach fans about the importance of the green movement and raise money for local non-profits. The villages included interactive stations such as a solar powered cell phone charger and a booth for signing and sending postcards to local representatives in support of The Lacey Act, a law keeping illegally logged wood from entering the United States. Overall, the eco-villages were a huge success, raising a total of $35,266 for 35 local non-profits [3].
Maroon 5’s partnership with REVERB is not, however, limited to touring! Recently, band members James Valentine and Mickey Madden joined forces with REVERB for a day of service for FREEHAB, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for homeless teens leaving foster care [4, 5]. James and Mickey helped build the 100-bed green apartment building for the teens with features such as bamboo floors, artwork from recycled materials, and even recycled furniture and countertops! In an interview, Mickey called the event “very touching” and James said that they were “happy to be a part of it” [4].
In addition to working with Maroon 5, REVERB has worked with over 40 different artists including Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz, Coldplay, and, another one of my favorite artists, Jack Johnson [6]. See if any of your favorite musicians are involved and check out the movement at http://www.REVERB.org/rvb.html!
Citations: