Posted on 07/11/2006 12:53:26 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit
CHARLOTTE, VT. — Dave Matthews Band announced today that it has arranged for NativeEnergy and Clean Air-Cool Planet to offset 100 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from all of its touring activities since 1991. By offsetting the CO2 pollution that touring activities, such as transporting gear, powering stages and air travel generate, Dave Matthews Band is taking a proactive role in fighting global warming and helping Native America begin to restore sustainable homeland economies in balance with the Earth.
This announcement comes at the beginning of Dave Matthews Band 2006 summer tour, which kicked off on May 30th at the UMB Bank Pavilion in Missouri and will end in their hometown of Charlottesville, VA with a two-night stand on Sept. 22 & 23 at the grand opening of John Paul Jones Arena. DMB is earning rave reviews from fans and critics this summer for a set list that offers a diverse mixture of the band's material spanning their fifteen years. Digging deep into their catalogue of songs, DMB is performing rare fan favorites and is debuting new songs before entering the studio this fall to work on their forthcoming release due out in 2007."
By announcing plans to offset 100 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions from all of its past touring activities, Dave Matthews Band is demonstrating how to turn attention toward positive solutions to global problems. Consumers everywhere can take the same proactive approach and visit www.NativeEnergy.com to offset their travel, auto, home or business emissions by helping to build new renewable energy projects that reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to generate electricity.
"As artists we need to act now to slow global warming. Carbon offsets are one thing we can do to help and we felt working with NativeEnergy was a good place to start," says Dave Matthews Band.
With NativeEnergy, the band ensures that its CO2 offsetting actually contributes directly to the construction of new, Native American and Native Alaskan renewable energy generators whose clean electricity will displace energy that would otherwise have to come from polluting coal-fired plants, reducing CO2 and other pollution on behalf of the band. In addition, DMB's purchase supports financially additional offsets from wind farms in the Great Plains, that displace electricity on one of the most intensely coal-fired grids in the country.
NativeEnergy's novel approach allows consumers to help build new wind projects by purchasing shares of the renewable energy credits (RECs) the projects are expected to generate over their operating lives. "Quality of CO2 offsets is becoming the major focus of stakeholders in the industry," says CEO Tom Boucher. "We are pleased by the increasing recognition that NativeEnergy's forward purchasing model drives the highest quality offsets available," he says. All RECs generated on behalf of the band will be permanently retired by Clean Air-Cool Planet, a 501(c)(3) that acts like a land trust for the RECs.
"This donation to Clean Air - Cool Planet from the Dave Matthews Band does two important things," said Adam Markham, executive director at CA-CP. "First, it insures that these RECs are kept off the market, because we will retire these credits. Second, it helps us help NativeEnergy finance more renewable energy projects, to reduce the threat of global warming."
By offsetting an estimated 18,000 tons of CO2, the band has the same global warming impact as eliminating 36 million average car miles. A large majority of DMB's purchase from NativeEnergy is to offset emissions from performances ranging from their very first engagements in 1991 to the 300,000 fan show at the Park Pop Festival in Holland (1998), but the total CO2 footprint also includes non-concert performances on the Grammy's, Tonight Show, and a Presidential Inaugural Ball.
DMB has worked with NativeEnergy since 2002, when it first mitigated 2,174 tons of CO2 from the 2002 summer tour as part of the One Sweet Whirled global warming campaign, a partnership between Dave Matthews Band, Ben & Jerry's, and SaveOurEnvironment.org. These investments helped to build the Rosebud Sioux Tribe wind turbine, the first Native American-owned and operated large-scale wind turbine.
About NativeEnergy : American Indian majority-owned, NativeEnergy is a national marketer of renewable energy credits or "green tags," offering individuals and organizations a means to compensate for their global warming pollution, or to effectively power their homes and businesses with renewable energy. NativeEnergy's patent-pending business process brings upfront payment to renewable projects for their estimated future green tag output, enabling its customers to help finance the construction of new wind farms and other renewable energy projects, such as tribal wind projects and methane digesters on Pennsylvania family dairy farms, which directly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to meet the nation's electricity needs. NativeEnergy is the choice of leading environmentally and socially responsible organizations, including Al Gore's AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (www.ClimateCrisis.net), Ben & Jerry's, Clif Bar, Stonyfield Farm, Interface, Aveda, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Co-op America, NRDC, the Clinton Global Initiative, Bonnaroo, and thousands of individuals. NativeEnergy also offers Green-e certified green tags from operating wind farms and Climate Neutral Network certified offsets from operating CO2 mitigation projects. Online at: www.NativeEnergy.com.
If you read the article, apparently the band is doing this in conjunction with Josie and Pussycats in Outerspace.
I never did understand the appeal of Dave Matthews.
They're suckers -- but at least they put their money where their mouth is.
Ofsetting CO2 pollution? I have tried to read this article about 5 times now and I have no clue what it is about. Is there anyone able to read through the double-speak in this one and explain it in 20 words or less?
It's about time travel, didn't you read the Headline?
In all seriousness it isabout the following:
Travelling from A to B in fossil-fuel powered transportation emits a given amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. This can be approximately calculated in you know the distance and type of transportation taken.
If, in turn, you wish to "offset" those emissions, you can purchase carbonn emission reduction credits and/or invest in alternative energy or planting trees that theoretically reduces the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by an amount commensurate with what one has calculated that one has released.
More simply put: If you cut a tree and burn the wood, you are pretty much even if you plant another tree.
I am not a fan either. I own no records, but if they are time travellers, perhaps that says something for them.
There is nothing fundametally wrong with planting trees or investing in alternative energy. The motivation is questionable, but as far as an allocation of capital is concerned, there are worse things.
It sounds like : "I can pollute the enviornment and buy some 'credits' and that means I'm actually cleaning the enviornment."
I don't quite follow.
This is coming from a 'band' that dumped 800 pounds of human waste on sightseeing tourists from their tour bus in Chicago.
http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1479
Are they offsetting the polluton from the millions of fans that have driven to see one of their concerts?
Couldn't we save energy by dumping sewage on tourists?
It is about ending up neutral.
You can't live a modern life without polluting. THe point is to try and offset that pollution.
I drop a stone in the water and it rises. I take one back out and the level goes back. It isn't that simple in a very coomplex system, but that is the concept.
No, I get that. You try to offset one thing with another. If Dave Matthews kills a child yet pays to have another child flown to a place where he can get a life-saving transplant, does that mean he's "even"?
Some might say just don't pollute the enviornment with your tour bus and generators,etc. I guess his Earth Mother doesn't beat out tour dates in Chigago and Tulsa...
Now this is a question that is in the spirit of the article. IMHO it really depends on the circumstances in which the child was killed. If it was accidental, than Matthews actions would be a kind of penance. In God's eyes my understanding is that he would be forgiven. The OJ Simpson Jury would also surely set him free.
Of course, the point is moot given Matthews time-travelling powers. He could simply go back to a point before he killed the child and alter events.
Good calculations. I like it.
A lot can happen in 22.7 seconds. We should all thank Dave Matthews.
These music types are really Maroons.
I was considering it more as a purchased indulgence. I think I'm bound to amuse myself for the next day or so envisioning Dave Mattews showing up at and influencing key dates in history.
I never did understand the appeal of Dave Matthews.
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I saw them perform once on television and I think the secret of their appeal is that they are not, wait, no, that isn't it, it is that they, uh, well you see it is like, you know, it is just like man it is weird, you know, well, like some awesome chick told me that it was supposed to be really cool to listen to Dave Matthews and like, I really want to be cool, man. I just think it would be so awesomely cool to have people tell me that I am like, cool.
Actually seems like pretty good PR to me. Costs less than a marketing action and the press picks it up and it is all positive.
Do you think these guys thought about it on their own?
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