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Project
Update - Pesticide Application to Waterways
 On
November 27, 2006, the EPA issued the Final
Rule on Application of Pesticides to Waters of the United
States in Compliance with FIFRA. This rulemaking
is intended to clarify the circumstances when pesticides may
be directly applied to or sprayed over water bodies without
first obtaining a Clean Water Act (CWA) permit. After
considering two rounds of public comments, the EPA concluded
that the federal Clean Water Act does not require discharge
permits for these activities in the following situations:
- When
pesticides are applied directly to water to control pests,
including mosquito larvae, aquatic weeds and other pests
in the water.
- When
pesticides are applied to control pests that are present
over or near water and some of the pesticide will unavoidably
end up in the water in order to target the pests effectively.
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Volunteer
to Rock the Earth
Rock the
Earth relies upon our wonderful volunteers to help accomplish
our work. As we continue to grow, we find ourselves in need
of volunteers for a number of positions. We are looking for
volunteers to help with a variety of tasks, such as:
-
Tabling events
- Coordinating
volunteers
- Fundraising
& membership drives
- Legal
& technical assistance
- Assisting
with data entry & mailings in our Denver office
- Writing
press releases
If you're
interested in volunteering with us, please send an email
to volunteer@RockTheEarth.org
to find out how you can help Rock the Earth!
RtE Summer Tour Intern Bridget Carey |
RtE
Seeks Summer Outreach Interns
Are you interested in a summer internship with RtE? This summer
we will once again tour the country! Our goal is to educate
music fans and environmentalists about our mission and the
environmental issues on which we are working. We will be signing
up new members and volunteers, as well as continuing to build
our relationships with musicians nationwide. We had great
success during our 2006 Summer Tour, and look forward to reaching
even greater heights in 2007! If you are interested in learning
more about the Summer Outreach Intern positions, please email
us at info@rocktheearth.org
for a full job description.
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Planet
Defender - Nominations Needed
 On
Earth Day, Rock the Earth will announce the winners of our
annual Planet Defender Award. In our January newsletter,
we put out a call for nominees and received some great submittals.
There's still time to nominate your 2007 Planet Defender!
Rock the Earth will be accepting nominations from its friends
and members between now and March 2nd. Help us identify
those people who have advanced the cause of environmental
protection. Nominees should demonstrate a strong commitment
to defending the planet within the realm in which they work.
Take a look at our categories listed below,
and send
us nominations from the music world, your local
community, or prominent leaders who have made a broad impact
in environmental protection.
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National
Advisory Board Moves RtE Forward
New RtE Advisory Board member Chef Charlie Ayers
Photo by Anne Dowie |
Rock the
Earth is honored to announce our newest Advisory Board members,
Charlie Ayers and Lara Pearson. The addition
of these two brings our number of Advisory Board members to
ten. The Advisory Board represents a diverse cross-section
of musicians, environmental and community leaders, and visionaries
from across the United States. The Advisory Board helps guide
the work of Rock the Earth. Advisory Board members work closely
with RtE staff and board to formulate our direction, guide
us on pressing environmental issues, and bring the mission
of RtE to a larger audience. Please join us in welcoming our
newest Advisory Board members as part of the Rock the Earth
team!
Continue
reading this article (meet the Advisory Board)...
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Rockin'
Sale for Members Only!
Rock the
Earth has great deals for RtE Members! For a limited time
only, take advantage of the 15% discount on Tamás
Estates wine!
For
more information on how to take advantage of these Members
Only discounts, write to info@rocktheearth.org.
If
you are not yet a Member of Rock the Earth, please
consider joining our growing movement of environmentally passionate
music fans.
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In
the Key of Green: Is Your Refrigerator
Running?
 Household
appliances account for approximately 20 percent of the average
household's energy bill. A majority of our nation's energy
is still generated from coal and natural gas, meaning our
household purchases can make a dramatic impact in the fight
to reduce greenhouse gases. Replacing old appliances with
Energy Star-rated models can make your refrigerator and other
appliances run more efficiently while reducing your environmental
impact. The next time you consider purchasing an appliance,
look for the Energy Star rating. The Union
of Concerned Scientists has tips on household
appliances and other simple steps in living a green life.
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Everyone
Orchestra Tour to Benefit Rock the Earth!
 Just
as the Winter
Jamfest tour wraps up, with a portion of the
proceeds of each night being donated to Rock the Earth, another
tour to benefit RtE is about to start. The Everyone
Orchestra is a revolving cast of stellar musicians
brought together by drummer/conductor (and RtE Advisory Board
Member) Matt Butler for concerts, festival super jams
and special benefit events. EO performances are designed to
create space for each performer's musical personality to shine,
to engage the audience as participants in the jam, and to
facilitate a massive celebratory coming together featuring
a conductor directing both musicians and audience alike in
interactive, lively and highly danceable movements.
During
the upcoming tour of the Southeast the band lineup includes
Butler, drummer Jeff Sipe (Trey Anastasio, ARU), guitar
legend Steve Kimock, saxman Jeff Coffin (The Flecktones),
vocalist Tanya Shylock (Mountain of Venus), EO core
members Chris Haugen, Mike Sugar and Asher
Fulero plus live painting by Phil Cheney, Tova
Jacobson and more. Stop by Rock the Earth's booth to buy
a benefit poster created by our live painters just for the
tour. See you there y'all!
EO
TOUR DATES:
February 20 - The Pour House, Charleston, SC
February 21 - The Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC
February 22 - Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA
February 23 - Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC
February 24 - The Empire Room, Greensboro, NC
Members
of Rock the Earth can win pairs of tickets to the
concerts. To enter your name, write to info@rocktheearth.org.
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Tamas
Estates Rocks!
 On
March 10, Tamás
Estates Winery will be holding a very special
event at the Northstar
Resort in Lake Tahoe to benefit Rock the Earth.
After holding a snowboard competition in which contestants
will jump over wine barrels and judges will determine the
"Highest Ollie," Tamás will sponsor a private
wine tasting and DJ party inside Butterbox from 5:00 p.m.
- 8:30 p.m. Featuring renowned Los Angeles DJ Shabaaz, the
$20 cost includes all wine and food, with a large portion
of the proceeds going to Rock the Earth.
"Tamás
Estates is committed to sustainable winegrowing practices
and preservation of the natural environment of the vineyards,"
said Chris Graves, Tamás Estates' winemaker. "It
is our pleasure to partner with Rock the Earth to make the
environment a priority in all communities through the enjoyment
of music and wine!"
Meanwhile,
Members of Rock the Earth will enjoy a 15% discount on all
wines ordered through Tamás Estates' website,
until April 12, 2007. For more information on how to take
advantage of this Members
Only discount, write to info@rocktheearth.org.
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Snoe.down
Tickets for RtE Members!
We know
it's only February, but festival season will be here before
you know it as evidenced by our first ticket offer of 2007
for
Members only. Thanks to the generosity
of Great Northeast productions, we have a very limited supply
of weekend passes to Snoe.down,
for only $65 a ticket (a savings of $16!). Snoe.down
takes place March 23-25, in Lake Placid, New York,
and features moe., the Disco Biscuits, Little Feat,
The Slip, Tea Leaf Green and others. Fans will
be able to take advantage of a myriad of Lake Placid winter
activities. During the concerts, fans will even have the option
of ice skating while listening to the show! Other area activities
include: Public bobsled and luge rocket rides (weather permitting),
outdoor public speed skating (weather permitting), gondola
rides to the top of Whiteface, toboggan rides and dog sled
rides on Mirror Lake, ice climbing and winter mountaineering,
tubing on Saranac Lake, visiting the Olympic ski jump towers
and touring the 1932 & 1980 Winter Olympic Museum.
For more
information on how Members can purchase discount tickets,
write to info@rocktheearth.org.
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Ryan
Montbleau Rocks the Earth: Interview
 Emerging
onto the national music scene from his home base of Boston,
Ryan
Montbleau has been described as something of
a Martin Sexton by way of Van Morrison and Stevie Wonder.
Yet Ryan Montbleau Band's music is difficult to pigeon-hole
or neatly categorize. It is original yet familiar-a fresh
sound full of firmly-rooted ingredients, including Americana,
folk, blues, ragtime and '70's R&B and soul. Whereas the
band's intriguing instrumentation and arrangements (not to
mention topnotch chops) help to create this unique sound,
all is firmly anchored by Montbleau's water-tight lyrics and
unmistakable voice.
Having
begun his career playing Boston's coffee shops and folk venues
as a solo artist with an infectious, percussive, fingerpicking
guitar style, the charismatic Ryan Montbleau has evolved into
the front man for the eclectic ensemble that bears his name.
Their first collective album, One Fine Color,
was released on Valentine's Day, 2006 and shows a cohesive
vision rarely seen among young artists today. Several thousand
copies have sold so far, and the album has been raved about
by music lovers of all types and, perhaps most notably, all
ages--from senior citizens to infants and everyone in between.
One Fine Color showcases the timeless songwriting,
invigorating energy and humble, honest sincerity that has
allowed Ryan Montbleau Band to expand its passionate fan base
one show and one listen at a time.
What
environmental issue(s) do you consider to be the most critical
at this time?
Well,
I've been thinking a lot about water lately--- where our drinking
and household water comes from, where our waste water goes,
and why is it that it has suddenly become so acceptable to
buy all of our drinking water from a bottle. I mean, if someone
had told you ten years ago that it would be commonplace to
buy water bottled by Coca Cola in the near future, would you
have believed them? Maybe you would have, but I'm really just
starting to learn! And in all honesty, global warming might
be the most critical issue at this time, but I'm thinking
about the water.
What
has inspired you to combine environmental activism with your
music?
Well,
like Michael Franti said, the responsibility of the artist
is to make great art. That's number one, but with that must
come a certain honesty. If you're not being honest about what's
going on in the world, then you're not making great art. I've
never been one to shove issues or my own agenda or opinions
down people's throats, and I hope I never am. But I do feel
a responsibility to at least lay it out there on the table.
Like, I may not preach to a crowd about how G.W. Bush is the
anti-Christ, but I might just say, "Hey, there's a war
going on." That, to me, at least brings the greater issues
into people's consciousness at that moment. Same with the
environment. But, like I said, I'm just starting to learn,
so I really haven't done anything yet!
Where
is your favorite place in nature to go to find solace or inspiration?
It's funny
that with all of this touring and "getting to see the
country," that I rarely make the time to go outside and
enjoy nature like I should. It's something I have to work
on. But I will say that I love snowboarding more than many
things in life. And it's those moments that come after the
drive to the mountain, the gearing up in the lodge, the lift
lines, the lift, etc., that make it all worth it. There's
something so humbling and real about a mountain, no matter
what color your jacket is or how much you paid through the
nose for a lift ticket. That being said, I try to find some
inspiration from nature in unassuming places from day to day.
It could be one branch that you observe out of a window, a
pidgeon in a park, the sound of the wind, anything. The important
thing is observing that it's there. Makes you think about
your place in it all.
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Rockin'
the Earth at Bonnaroo 2006: Photo
RtE
2006 Summer Outreach Tour interns Kathryn Blau, Chandra Ruff
and volunteer Sarah Chrosniak at Bonnaroo
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