| Rock
the Earth Day 2007 Wrap-Up
 With
Earth Day celebrations now lasting for a full week in different
parts of the country, Rock the Earth expanded our outreach
efforts during this national holiday in which we had were
rockin' it all over the U.S. of A. We kicked off our Earth
Week activities on April 14th on what we called our first
annual Rock the Earth Day. On that day merchants and bands
supported Rock the Earth by donating a portion of their income
from sales that day to us. We want to thank Umphrey's McGee,
New Riders of the Purple Sage and Hot Buttered Rum,
who all donated proceeds from their shows in Washington, DC.,
Harrisonburg, VA and Atlanta, GA, respectively. Denver's Herbs
and Arts also donated 10% of their sales receipts that
day to RtE. On April 20th, national ticket company TicketsWest
donated 10% of its ticket surcharges nationally to Rock the
Earth.
Meanwhile,
RtE volunteers were busy on the front range as well. On April
18th, RtE Executive Director Marc Ross spoke at the University
of Denver's Sturm College of Law to eager law students
wanting to know more about RtE and careers in environmental
law. On April 19th, RtE held a Guitar Hero II competition
at Quixote's True Blue, where highly skilled contestants displayed
their video guitar chops and vied for great prizes that included
a Sony Playstation2, Colorado Rockies, Crush and Mamouth Tickets,
video games, CDs, gift certificates from local businesses,
and concert tickets to see bands like the Bravery, Bouncing
Souls, Mastadon, and Regina Spektor. Congratulations to Casey
Karns, who became the first Rock the Earth Guitar Hero
Champion! Special thanks to Quixote's, Best Buy, Clear Channel
Radio, 93.3, Twist & Shout, the Tattered Cover, Racine's,
Chipotle, and Anthony's Pizza. On Earth Day (Sunday, April
22nd), the celebration of Mother Earth in Denver continued
with a dinner concert by local guitar hero Rob Drabkin
at the Hard Rock Café, where diners competed
for additional prizes by testing their rock and environmental
trivia knowledge. Special thanks to Rob and the Hard Rock
Café for their support of Rock the Earth!
Also on
Earth Day, Rock the Earth volunteers were busy, simultaneously,
at the Green
Apple Music Festival in both Chicago's Lincoln
Park Zoo and in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Meanwhile,
that same day, a team of RtE Staffers and volunteers worked
at the annual Solarfest at the University of New Hampshire.
In addition
to all of our Earth Day activities out "in the field,"
a variety of bands and festivals supported RtE this year by
including blurbs in their own email blasts to their mailing
lists, encouraging folks to join RtE this year in honor of
Earth Day. Special thanks to High Sierra Music Festival,
10,000 Lakes Festival, Dark Star Orchestra,
New Monsoon and JamBase for their support!
As one
would expect, as our Earth Week activities reached a new all-time
high; our success at these events matched it. As our corps
of volunteers continues to grow, we will look for new opportunities
to participate in Earth Week activities in greater numbers
and in more places next year - in fact, we've already begun
planning some big activities, so stay tuned!
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Rockin'
Home Depot, Lowe's and Wal-Mart: Say NO to Cypress Mulch!
 The
Maurepas Basin cypress swamp in Louisiana is a coastal wetland
forest threatened by clear-cutting. Cypress is the dominant
tree species in the wetland and is sought after due to the
growing demand for cypress mulch. Even though Cypress forests
are tolerant of the periodic flooding that often occurs in
wetlands, regeneration of the trees is difficult due to large
coastal areas that are constantly flooded in Louisiana each
year. Complicating the issue is the fact that Cypress forests
in the Gulf continue to be targeted by the cypress mulch industry,
and the Gulf's best natural storm protection is being
sold off at two dollars a bag in Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Home
Depot outlets from Gainesville to Chicago.
Cypress
swamps provide some of the best natural storm protection for
the Gulf coast and they are important habitat for wildlife,
including threatened and endangered species. After the storms
of 2005, the last thing we need to see is the loss of flooding
defenses. The Save
Our Cypress Coalition has gathered evidence
of widespread clear-cutting in coastal Louisiana for mulch,
and reports from other parts of the country have started to
surface as well. Massive amounts of swamp are being logged
and whole trees are being used just to make mulch, and that
mulch ends up in your gardening department. And all of this
activity is occurring in our nation's precious wetlands without
permits required by the Federal Clean Water Act.
Rock the
Earth is partnering with the Gulf Restoration Network to work
on this issue. The Gulf Restoration Network has been involved
with Cypress logging issues since 2002. They submitted comments
to the EPA in 2002 questioning why mandatory federal jurisdiction
was not asserted over proposed logging activities.
These
comments were followed by the directed formation of a research
panel by the Governor of Louisiana to gather information and
determine guidelines for the long-term use, conservation and
protection of the coastal wetland forests. The research panel
reported in 2005 that regeneration of Cypress was unlikely
with the persistent flooding that had become commonplace in
Louisiana wetlands. In 2005, another proposed logging operation
came under scrutiny and has yet to be resolved. An advisory
panel appointed by the Governor of Louisiana is responsible
for recommending policy for implementing the recommendations
found by the coastal wetland study, but this has yet to happen.
The coastal
wetlands of Louisiana hold roughly 40% of the wetlands
located in the continental 48 states, and they are
disappearing at a rate of up to 40 square miles per year due
to development pressures and logging. Rock the Earth and its
partner, Gulf Restoration Network, will continue to monitor
permits and any new regulations, and will increase public
awareness of wetland loss and the associated implications.
Take Action!
We need a vocal and engaged public to let Home Depot,
Wal-Mart and Lowe's know that their destruction of the Gulf
coast is not acceptable. A good way to do that is
by delivering a personal letter to a store manager.
Please
visit this
link to download a sample letter (in Word).
Please
visit this
website for more campaign resources.
You can
complete the letter and add your own thoughts, then just drop
by the store(s) and personally explain the issue to the manager
while you deliver your letter. To multiply your impact, you
can ask some friends to come with you.
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Rockin'
Bonnaroo!
 Planet
Roo is the village within Centeroo dedicated to preserving
the environment as well as promoting sustainable and healthy
living. Nonprofit organizations, eco-friendly vendors, and
performers on the Solar Stage gather to interact and educate
the public about what we can all do to protect the health
of the planet.
In furtherance
of that mission, Rock the Earth will once again be holding
a series of panel discussions and artist environmental question
and answer sessions live on the Solar Stage each day. Moderated
by Rock the Earth Executive Director Marc Ross, the theme
of the panel discussions will be "Social Change Through
Music," and will explore the synergies between the artists
that create music and its interconnectedness to the environment
and the world around us.
Already
confirmed panelists include Michael Kang and Michael Travis
(String Cheese Incident), David Murphy and Hunter Brown
(Sound Tribe Sector 9), John Butler, Trevor Garrod
(Tea Leaf Green), Adrian Zelski (Dubconscious),
Lindsay Guetschow (Stop Global Warming), Peter Shapiro
(Green Apple Music Festival), Andy Bernstein (Headcount),
Justin Baker (Conscious Alliance), Anna Borofsky
(Clean Vibes), Brendon Smyth (Grist), and special
one-on-one interviews with Michael Franti, Warren
Haynes and the legendary Bob Weir! More artists
to be announced soon!
Festival
info at www.bonnaroo.com.
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Carpool
to All Good Festival and help Rock the Earth!
In an
effort to decrease the environmental impact of this year's
event, the All
Good Festival is partnering with Conscious
Alliance, the Rex
Foundation and Rock
the Earth to promote carpooling. For every
car arriving on site with three or more passengers, the All
Good Festival will donate $1.00 to the charities. One carpooling
vehicle will be chosen at random and all passengers will be
upgraded to V.I.P. camping. Each person in each carpooling
vehicle will receive a raffle ticket. The raffle tickets will
be collected at the festival Merchandise Tent. Winners will
be announced by the festival MC during intermissions in the
music. Prizes include but are not limited to: 2008 All Good
tickets, 2007 All Good Merchandise, and artist autographed
posters. Help reduce pollution this summer by carpooling to
All Good!
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Rockin'
New Thank You Gifts!
Spring
is now in full bloom, and new membership gifts are budding
from RtE! If you've been thinking about becoming
a member or renewing your membership, take
advantage of these great new gifts!
 Receive
a beautiful dichroic glass pendant, handmade by Touch
of J, with your $75
membership donation to RtE. Each piece is a
one-of-a-kind creation that transmits a reflective color around
the eye-catching RtE logo. Show off your sense of style and
your love for the earth with this beautiful new gift!
 Music
for the Planet is an incredible 2-CD set of
live music, containing many rare tracks, by artists including
Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, The Grateful
Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, String
Cheese Incident and many others! Get this great membership
gift now with your $25
donation!
 RtE
Summer Tour Poster:
This beautiful poster created by artist Ryan Kerrigan
is the fourth in our series of Summer Tour posters. Printed
on Living Tree paper (100% hemp/flax and recycled content)
the poster is hand-signed by the artist and numbered out of
a series of 200. With every contribution you receive a membership
to Rock the Earth. Help us build a unified voice for the music
community so we can Rock the Earth together!
And don't
forget about these fantastic member benefits, all yours
with a $25 or more donation to help us Defend the Planet
One Beat at a Time!
MEMBER
BENEFITS:
Wakarusa
Music Festival - Only $110 for RtE Members!
A savings of nearly $50!
 The
3rd annual Wakarusa Music Festival held June 7-10, 2006 in
Lawrence, Kansas, features 4 days of music, camping, workshops,
microbrews and more. The word "Wakarusa" is a Native
American term meaning "ass-deep." In and around
the Lawrence area, it refers to the Wakarusa River, which,
oddly enough, is about "ass-deep" in depth. Enjoy
music on 7 stages by Widespread Panic, Ben Harper,
Yonder Mountain String Band, Michael Franti &
Spearhead, Sam Bush, Galactic and many more
bands! To order tix, write to info@rocktheearth.org.
10,000
Lakes Festival - only $110 for RtE Members! A savings
of nearly $50!
 Want
to volunteer? Save even more! Email us at info@RockTheEarth.org.
Join RtE in Detroit Lakes, MN, July 18-21! 10KLF is held at
the Soo Pass Ranch, a 600-acre state-of-the-art concert and
camping venue with 4 stages, vendors, activities, huge restroom
facilities with running water and beautiful wooded and lakeside
camping. Featuring artists such as Bob Weir & Ratdog,
moe., Trey Anastasio, the Disco Biscuits,
Gov't Mule and Umphrey's McGee, 10KLF is surely
a festival not to be missed in 2007.
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: Worms to the
Rescue
 Landfills
across the country are filling up at an alarming rate that
increases each year. However, right at home we can forge a
mutually beneficial partnership with the worms and help eliminate
a good portion of our landfill waste. Food scraps make up
over 11% of landfills, which is a shame considering worms
would be more than happy to compost it for us before it ends
up in the garbage heap.
It is
fun and easy to have a worm composting bin, but before getting
started, the basics on setup and maintenance will be needed.
Digging up worms out of the backyard will not work effectively;
there is a specific worm commonly known as a "red wiggler"
that is the real compost super-hero. These "red wigglers"
are readily available online at Planet
Natural along with instructions and everything
needed to get started.
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Boulder’s
Fox Theatre Rocks!
 The
Fox
Theatre in Boulder, Colorado has begun an exciting
program to contribute a portion of ticket sales to charitable
organizations both close to home in Boulder and around the
world. $0.25 from each concert ticket purchased (at
Albums on the Hill, on-line at Fox
Ticketing or by phone) will be set aside in a special
fund and donated to different organizations. Since the inception
of the program in May of 2005, they have raised $22,866.30
for charity. The Fox Theatre hopes to make a tangible and
positive difference in our local and world community.
During
the month of June, these funds will be donated to Rock the
Earth, so support RtE and the Fox by seeing live music! A
full schedule of events at the Fox can be found at www.foxtheatre.com.
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Volunteer
with Rock the Earth this Summer
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
With the
summer concert and festival season upon us, we will be looking
for people to help staff tables at a variety of events around
the country. Please visit our website, www.RockTheEarth.org,
to see where RtE will be over the next few months.
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! Please be sure
to include your city and state so we know the region of the
country you live.
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RtE
Announcement Regarding Greening Jam Cruise
Rock the
Earth announces that after two years of coordinating the Greening
Jam Cruise program, it will not be returning to Jam Cruise
in 2008. Instead, Rock the Earth will be focusing its resources
on its litigation against the National Park Service for their
mismanagement of Grand Canyon National Park and announces
its intention to challenge eco-prospectors and other threats
to Papahanaumokukea, the new Northwest Hawaiian Islands National
Marine Monument. In addition to these two issues, Rock the
Earth will, on behalf of the music community, continue to
monitor several important threats to ecosystems and will advocate
for their protection as is necessary. Rock the Earth appreciates
the opportunity that Jam Cruise provided in allowing us to
conduct the greening on Jam Cruises 4 and 5 and intends to
take the experience it gained to advocate for more sustainable
practices throughout the music industry.
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Chef
Charlie Ayers Rocks the Earth: Interview
 Chef
Charlie Ayers lives by the creed "eat,
drink, and be merry." For the past 15 years, he has spread
his faith as a working chef, zealously providing eclectic
and unique gourmet food and drink in an ambiance of music
and fun.
Chef Charlie
is most widely known as the former executive chef for Google
Inc., a position he won in November of 1999 in a cook-off,
judged by the company's 40 employees. By the time he left
Google, Chef Charlie and his team of five sous chefs and 150
employees in 10 cafés across the company's Mountain
View, California, headquarters were serving 4,000 lunches
and dinners daily. Chef Charlie's contribution to the company
attracted media attention around the world. He and his cafés
were featured in the New York Times, London Times, France's
Le Capital, the Washington Post, Food Management, Restaurants
Institutions, The Food Network, and many others, as well as
occupying an entire chapter ("Charlie's Place")
in David Vise's book, The Google Story.
Chef Charlie
began his career at several well-known restaurants in the
Providence and Boston areas before moving to California. It
was in California that Chef Charlie's love of music and food
came together: shortly after arriving, he struck up a friendship
with "Chez Ray," the chef for The Grateful Dead.
Chef Charlie gladly helped feed the band and crew in exchange
for admission to shows, and ultimately took over catering
for the band after Mr. Garcia's time on this planet had expired.
He has often been part of the team of local celebrity chefs
providing intimate backstage catering for large open-air music
festivals.
Currently,
he is also developing a new restaurant concept that will demonstrate
that "being green" is good for the consumer, team
members, environment, and local community. Like the "fine
food for the fast crowd" Chef Charlie refined at Google,
the fundamental goal of Calafia Café / Calafia Grab
& Go Market is to provide the greater public with healthful,
artisan-style, sustainable cuisine in a fast and affordable
format. The first restaurant is scheduled to open in summer
of 2007 in downtown Palo Alto, California.
What
environmental issue(s) do you consider to be the most critical
at this time?
I have
two that are at the top of my list right now, but I could
go and on.
Farmed
Salmon verse Wild Salmon: The over breeding of farmed
salmon has lead to a huge sea lice problem, which is now leading
to infecting the wild salmon populations both here in North
America as well as Europe. Dramatic increases of sea lice
populations will be the kiss of death for salmon everywhere-
these are fish that are already declining in reports from
both sides of the pond.
What
can you do? When shopping for salmon, go for the wild
salmon every time, adhere to the Monterey Bay Aquarium endangered
species guide lines. Request that your local fish monger only
carries wild salmon. As a consumer you can pressure the industry
into doing the right thing. Fish Responsibly.
Bees
are becoming a thing of the past: To paraphrase Albert
Einstein: If the bee vanishes from the face of the earth,
we as a human race would only have four years left to survive
on the planet. Information gathered from around the globe
has reported the decrease in bee population 30-60 % loss here
on the west coast, with population drops as high as 70 % in
Texas. In Europe the scientist have named it " CCD "
colony collapse disorder. Researchers have discovered multiple
infections co-existing in colonies, many of which are infected
with fungi, an indication that the bee's immune system has
seriously been compromised. This compromised immune function
is believed to be linked to GM foods. More studies are being
conducted to determine the link between the two. Because we
have messed with nature to create this insect proof wonder
crop, the bees are unable to fight off infection and parasites
that are a real part of their eco system.
What
can you do? When shopping for produce makes sure the foods
you are buying aren't Genetically Modified fruits and vegetables.
Go to your local farmers market, this will be your best and
safest bet that the foods you're feeding to yourself and family
is clean.
Support Local Organic Farming.
What
has inspired you to combine environmental activism with music?
Traveling
across and all over this beautiful country of ours, having
the freedom and opportunity to go see live music in places
like the Gorge for Phish, Compton Terrace, AZ, or Red Rocks,
Co, or Oxford Plains in Maine for the Grateful Dead, or the
beautiful western Marin /Sonoma coastal towns of Bolinas,
Cazadero or Jenner to catch intimate ethereal jam sessions
with Steve Kimock, or Zero over the years.
Appreciating
the beauty and nature that surrounds you while you are fully
immersed in the music takes it to a whole new level for me.
I have always loved the whole outdoor music festival vibe
over an indoor show scene. Going to see live music doesn't
get much better for me than when the backdrop for the stage
is something like a mountain range or dancing in the sands
on the beach in on some tropical island while your favorite
band is on stage.
Live Music and Outdoors go together.
Where
is your favorite place in nature to go to find solace or inspiration?
That is
really easy for me to get-- my family and I are very blessed
where we live in the Bay Area. We're really close to this
huge wilderness preserve that is within walking distance from
our home. This makes it very nice for our son and his friends
to play and stay active. The Pacific Ocean is just over the
hill from our house as well, so there are many special places
I hold sacred and don't visit as often as I should. Whenever
I feel the need, I grab the dog and leash and my water bottle,
and within a 10 minutes walk from our home, Elliot and I are
in the woods surrounded by all the sites, smells and sounds
of nature. This is where I go to work recipes out in my head
(I cook it all up in my head before I actually cook it on
the stove);it gets me away from the kitchen environment for
an hour or two-- this really helps to ground my work and bring
it into focus. An ever-constant struggle for me is keeping
the food as real as possible, staying on track and allowing
it to happen naturally-- taking daily breaks with the dog
seems to be working.
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Rockin'
the Earth at JazzFest: Photo
RtE
Member Jeffrey Willner at the New Orleans Jazz Festival (2007)
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