And
the Planet Defender Awards Go to...
 After
pouring through dozens of nominations sent in from members
and friends of Rock the Earth, RtE's Volunteer Staff is pleased
to announce the winners of our annual Planet Defender Award!
ARTIST:
JACK
JOHNSON
 Having
grown up on the North Shore of Oahu, Jack has been heavily
involved in the Surfrider Foundation and has lent his voice
towards the protection of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.
In his 2005 tour of North America, Jack donated 1% of his
Summer 2005 tour proceeds to organizations certified by 1%
for the Planet, a consortium of businesses
who promise to donate at least one percent of sales to the
natural environment. Jack will be playing the upcoming Kokua
Festival on Earth Day in Maui, with proceeds going
to environmental protection in Hawaii.
COMMUNITY
LEADER: ROCKY
ANDERSON
 Salt
Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has garnered global recognition
for his initiatives to move the city toward a healthy, sustainable
future. Mayor Anderson created Salt
Lake City Green, a guide for the city's comprehensive
approach to environmental protection. Mayor Anderson has been
a leading spokesman for combating global warming and has helped
convince cities throughout the United States to take more
aggressive roles in fighting global warming.
"I
am deeply honored to receive Rock the Earth's Planet
Defender award. Salt Lake City's efforts to combat global
climate disruption focus on the urgent need to coordinate
efforts by governments, businesses, and individuals to act
in ways that effectively reduce emissions of global warming
pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels. We all have
a tremendous responsibility to do all we can to prevent
climatic disaster resulting from global warming. We have
the means to meet this challenge; all we need is the personal
and political will." - Mayor Rocky Anderson
GRASSROOTS
ACTIVIST: JASON RUTLEDGE, Healing
Harvest Forest Foundation
 Jason
Rutledge is the President and Founder of Virginia's Healing
Harvest Forest Foundation. Healing Harvest was established
to develop, implement and support community-based sustainable
forestry initiatives and to create a nurturing coexistence
between the forest and human communities. The practices of
Healing Harvest simply imitate nature and take the worst trees
first, using skilled, modern horse logging techniques that
have a very low impact on the forest.
"Our
Earth is a living organism that we are a part of and dependent
upon for our very survival. It is our home, our house and
to truly understand this - is to be compelled to defend
it. The greatest personal value in practicing restorative
forestry is the human dignity dividend of knowing you are
doing 'good work.' Such 'good work' is supported by a wonderful
award like the Rock the Earth - Planet Defender."
- Jason Rutledge
 Each
Planet Defender recipient will receive a one-of-a-kind award
created by artist Scott Wolfson of the Crefeld
School, a progressive, alternative learning
community in Philadelphia. For more information about Scott’s
work, visit his
website here. Three individuals who nominated
our award winners will receive a special Earth Day gift from
Rock the Earth. Thank
you all for helping Rock the Earth defend the planet one beat
at a time!
Thank
you to Rock the Earth members Nichole Almeroth for
nominating Jack Johnson, Bret Walburg for nominating
Rocky Anderson, and Justin LaMountain for nominating
Jason Rutledge. We'll be sending a small token of our appreciation
to you all soon!
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Spring
Cleaning: Protecting You and the Environment
By
Jubilee Daniels
 Spring
is traditionally known as the time for “spring cleaning”.
However, do you know if your cleaning products are safe for
your health and the environment? Green cleaning is a term
used to describe cleaning products that are safe for you and
environment. Read below for a few simple steps you can take
to eliminate toxic household cleaners from your home, and
identify safer cleaning products.
How
can household cleaners affect your heath? Many cleaning
products contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These
VOCs are gases (fumes) that are emitted from the product,
which can then be inhaled into your lungs and potentially
affect your health. Many of the smells that your conventional
cleaning product gives off are due to VOCs, and in fact the
smell could be warning you of their potential presence. According
to the US Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to certain
VOCs can cause: “Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches,
loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and
central nervous system, and some VOCs can cause cancer.”
More
on VOCs...
continue
reading this article...
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Would
You Like Plastic or Paper?
We all
face this question regularly - the decision whether to put
your groceries in a paper or plastic shopping bag can be a
tough one, especially if you consider yourself to be environmentally
conscious. Whether you think plastic or paper is the safer
choice, there is an even better option for you to make a responsible
choice for the environment – bring your own bag!
 Over
one billion plastic bags are given out each day around the
world, which end up in landfills, beaches, city streets and
waterways, taking about 1,000 years to degrade and contaminating
soil and water as they do so (according to The Bag Beast by
Michael Jensen). Tens of thousands of birds and marine
life have been killed eating the bags, mistaking them for
actual food. Paper bags, often considered the lesser of
the two evils, are not free of causing environmental harm
in their production. An estimated 14 million trees are
cut down to make 10 billion bags used annually in the
US. Paper bag production also requires more energy and generates
more atmospheric emissions than the production of plastic
bags.
The only
environmentally responsible choice is to bring your own bag
and help reduce the number of plastic and paper bags used
in your community. Canvas tote bags, like
the one we offer Rock the Earth members donating $25 or more,
can give you the satisfaction of protecting the environment
by carrying a bag that can be reused for years. Our new Rock
the Earth tote bag is made with 55% hemp and 45% cotton, and
can carry more groceries than plastic bags and even paper
bags! So this Earth Day, make the choice to use canvas instead
of plastic or paper at the grocery store and feel confident
in your decision, knowing you are protecting the earth!
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Celebrate
Earth Day and Rock the Earth!
 This
Earth Day, give (or get!) a gift that helps the protect earth
with a Rock the Earth membership! We have gift
packages that are perfect for friends and family,
including great thank you gifts like our new organic cotton/hemp
Rock the Earth tote bag, a variety of cotton/hemp
Rock the Earth shirts, and some great CD’s,
DVDs and posters. Check out our website, www.RockTheEarth.org,
to see our gift packages and sign up for membership today!
 We
are thrilled to announce even more member benefits to thank
you for supporting our work! In addition to discounted
concert and festival tickets, free music downloads
at emusic.com and 20% off SCIGear merchandise,
RtE Members can now receive 10% off Eco-express gift baskets,
including great bath and body products, organic foods, music,
games and much more, as well as 20% off all Bamboosa
products! Bamboosa creates beautiful clothing out of 100%
bamboo, and they are giving all new RtE members who
donate $25 or more during the month of April a FREE pair of
Bamboosa socks. Celebrate Earth Day by supporting
Rock the Earth and getting great discounts on environmentally
responsible clothing and gifts!
Don’t
forget to take advantage of those discounted festival tickets
before they sell out! RtE Members can purchase tickets to
Smilefest
for only $75 and 10,000
Lakes Music Festival for only $100! That’s
a great savings! Volunteers willing to work daily at these
festivals can get even more discounts - just email us to learn
more.
If you
are a member of RtE, or want to become one, email us at Membership@RockTheEarth.net
to learn how to take advantage of your membership benefits!
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Rock
the Earth Lawsuit Moves Forward!
On March
28, 2006, RtE, along with a coalition of wilderness advocate
groups including River Runners for Wilderness, Living Rivers
and Wilderness Watch, sued the National Park Service in Federal
District Court. To read more about the Colorado River Management
Plan go
here. Also available are a copy of the Complaint
as well as a Press
Release.
The outcome
of this challenge will impact how all wilderness areas are
managed in this country, either resulting in free reign for
motorized concessionaires in some of this country’s most
treasured wild lands, or a restoration and protection of these
critical ecosystems for future generations.
Expenses
associated with this litigation are expected to exceed $15,000.
This marks a turning point in Rock the Earth's growth and
we need your assistance more than ever! Please help support
this important case by renewing your membership, signing up
for membership if you are not already a member, or making
an additional donation to RtE.
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Dr.
John Rocks the Earth: Interview
 Dr.
John, or Mac Rebennack as known to friends
and family, is universally celebrated as the living embodiment
of the rich musical heritage exclusive to New Orleans. His
very colorful musical career began in the 1950s when he wrote
and played guitar on some of the greatest records to come
out of the Crescent City, including recordings by Professor
Longhair, Art Neville, Joe Tex and Frankie Ford. A notorious
gun incident forced the artist to give up the guitar and concentrate
on organ and piano. Further trouble at home sent Dr. John
west in the 1960s, where he continued to be in demand as a
session musician, playing on records by Sonny and Cher, Van
Morrison and Aretha Franklin to name a few. He also launched
his solo career, developing the charismatic persona of Dr.
John The Night Tripper. Adorned with voodoo charms and regalia,
a legend was born with his breakthrough 1968 album Gris-gris,
which established his unique blend of voodoo mysticism, funk,
rhythm & blues, psychedelic rock and Creole roots. Several
of his many career highlights include the masterful album
Sun, Moon and Herbs in 1971, which included cameos
from Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger, and 1973's In The Right
Place, which contained the chart hits "Right Place Wrong Time"
and "Such A Night." Dr. John garnered Grammy award wins in
1989, 1992, 1996 and 2000. He has also received five other
nominations over the years. In 2004, his musical love letter
to the city of New Orleans, "N'awlinz Dis Dat or D'udda,"
was awarded the prestigious Académie Charles Cros 57ème
Palmarès award in France. It was the first time since
the 1970s that an artist from North America received the award.
After a half century of creating music for others and himself,
Dr. John continues to write, arrange, produce and interpret
with a passion that has yet to wane. He also continues to
dazzle and delight audiences across the globe touring consistently.
As a true living legend, Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack
will always be a musician who never ceases to explore the
endless possibilities that music presents.
What
environmental issue(s) do you consider to be the most critical
at this time?
At the
moment, actually, the clean water and stopping further loss
of the wetlands (irreversible damage done to wildlife), and
rebuilding them for the future.
What
has inspired you to combine environmental activism with your
music?
In 1957
I started with a record "Storm Warning" about a
hurricane in the early fifties. I was growing up in a state
that was a sportsman's paradise, one that was already becoming
endangered by the Corps of Engineers and the auspices of politicians
diverting the Mississippi River.
Since
Prez Reagan refused to sign the clean water bill in the eighties,
I began, along with Bobby Charles, to observe tragic expansion
of the loss of wetlands, where polluted water coming down
the Mississippi River blew into the salt waters in the Gulf
of Mexico, and I watched the salt water deteriorate the remains
of the wetlands at an alarming rate. Bobby Charles wrote the
song "Clean Water," and we planned to do a tour down the Mississippi
River, with a gig on each side, showing how much damage the
chemicals added to this problem. We had lined up acts such
as Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, myself and more.
As of
late my concerns have been with Hurricanes Katrina/Rita/Wilma.
Everything in our environment has an effect on our being.
Our spirit is connected to higher things, political greed
is connected to lower things. At this moment the gulf, with
it's tragic disaster running from what may be the greatest
political land grab since Columbus stole this land from the
skins, from East Texas to West Florida-- I am nauseated
by our government's treatment of this area in a lesser fashion
than it treats third world countries-- it's an age old trap.
Where
is your favorite place in nature to go to find solace or inspiration?
On the
water. I love to fish and I dread the day that man has no
water to drink and neither do the fish. I love peaceful bayous,
the Gulf of Mexico... all waters.
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Rockin
the Earth with Artist Scott Wolfson: Photos
Artist
Scott Wolfson creates a RtE Planet Defender Award while students
at the Crefeld School in Philadelphia look on.
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