It may not have felt like it until recently, but spring is finally upon us! And with it, comes Earth Day. This time of year, as outdoor concerts and music festivals begin to flourish, it’s hard not to make a connection between the two — especially when many of our favorite artists hold environmentalism close to their hearts. As April 22 approaches, peep which musicians have taken steps to go green, and find your own ways to follow in their eco-friendly footsteps!
Green Day
True to their name, Green Day are definitely pro-green! In 2006, the punk rockers teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to get younger generations to combat climate change and oil drilling. More recently, they appeared on a Fuse TV special “Green Day Earth Day” in 2010, highlighting the band’s interviews, music videos, and more.
The Lumineers
The Lumineers have backed a number of charities and causes, but one that sticks out is their support of Cool Earth — a “nonprofit organization that works alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation and climate change.” In 2016, the band put out a cover of the song “Blue Christmas” and donated all proceeds from the single to the organization.
Ellie Goulding
“Lights” singer, Ellie Goulding has a hand in multiple environmental campaigns, including her work with WWF’s Earth Hour, a global movement to fight global warming. Goulding helped spread the campaign via social media, even recently traveling to the Arctic to see the effect climate change is having on glaciers and wildlife.
Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney has always been vocal about his activism. A vegetarian who took part in a video with his daughters (Mary and Stella), highlighting how animal agriculture is detrimental to the environment, the former Beatle has also (loudly) voiced his criticisms of President Trump and his denial of climate change.
Radiohead
With numerous songs in their catalog examining the decimation of the Earth, Thom Yorke collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer, for a re-work of the track “Bloom”, then featured in the BBC series, Planet Earth: Blue Planet II. As Yorke told Paste in 2017, “’Bloom’ was inspired by the original Blue Planet series, so it’s great to be able to come full circle with the song and reimagine it for this incredible landmark’s sequel.”
Adele
Vocal powerhouse Adele aims to offer aid to the Earth, and others, with a little help from her husband, Simon Konecki. Adele can be seen helping promote her hubby’s nonprofit, Drop4Drop, which works to lessen the world’s water crisis by getting worldwide communities access to sustainable, clean water.
Pearl Jam
Touring can cause a negative impact on the world’s resources, and Pearl Jam is working to change this. Partnering with Conservation International, Pearl Jam is making efforts to alleviate their carbon footprint on a recent Brazil tour by purchasing a carbon offset — the funds from which will be used to agricultural reforestation workers in the Amazon.
Jack Johnson
Born and raised in Oahu, Hawaii, singer-songwriter Jack Johnson knows the beauty the Earth has to offer and does what he can to preserve it. In 2012, Johnson released an album in honor of Earth Day, Jack Johnson and Friends: Best of Kokua Festival. The record — featuring live festival highlights and legends like Willie Nelson — donated all proceeds to his Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which promotes environmental conservation in Hawaii.
Linkin Park
In the end, it truly does matter. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Linkin Park founded Music For Relief — crisis relief program aimed at aiding survivors and communities recovering from natural disasters.
Alanis Morissette
After winning the 2003 Environmental Media Award, Alanis Morissette went on to narrate and host the 2005 PBS documentary, Global Warming: The Signs and The Science, in an effort to advocate the dangers of climate change.
