Rock
the Earth Enters Battle Over Crow Butte
 On
February 22, Rock the Earth joined with the Center
for Water Advocacy ("CWA") to oppose Crow Butte Resources'("CBR")
Uranium Mine Expansion.
Overview:
Located near Crawford, Nebraska, The Crow Butte Mine
produces 800,000 to 1 million pounds of yellowcake
uranium per year (current price $89lb). The Crow Butte
Mine is owned by Canadian-based Cameco,
Inc. which calls itself the largest
uranium company in the world. Cameco Resources (formerly
Crow Butte Resources or "CBR"), a Cameco subsidiary
that owns the mine, represents 10% of Cameco's uranium
reserves.
The
Issue at Hand:
CBR is asking the NRC for a permit to expand uranium
mining in and around towns, farms, and Indian territories,
directly impacting indigenous peoples' water rights
and threatening their health, livelihood and sacred
sites. CBR's process currently consumes and contaminates
4.7 billion gallons of water per year from the High
Plains Aquifer which is also the water source to communities
in eight western states.
Continue
Reading...
For
more information on this important issue, check out
the Rock
the Earth Crow Butte Project Page. To read
our Feb. 22 Amicus ("friend of the court") Brief,
go
here. To read the Press Release, go
here.
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A
Rockin' Earth Day in Denver
RtE to Head Up Green Apple Denver
 In
its third year, the Green
Apple Music Festival has announced
plans to expand to eight U.S. cities, making it the
largest Earth Day celebration EVER. We of Rock the
Earth are honored to be playing a large part in organizing
the festival in Denver. Stretching over the weekend
of April 18th -20th, the festival will feature music
in over a dozen clubs throughout the Front Range corridor
and includes a full-on greening program for the evening
concerts, and will culminate in a large, FREE concert
in Denver's centrally located City Park
on Sunday, April 20th from noon to 6 p.m. Musical
talent will include performances by the Neville
Brothers, Rose
Hill Drive, Jackie
Greene and the Benevento/
Russo Duo. Also present at the event
will be a whole host of environmentally-friendly businesses,
nonprofits, and an assortment of natural and organic
food and beverage vendors. You’ll even be able
to check out several new hybrid cars and enter
a contest to win one!
DENVER
Volunteers Needed
We anticipate that this event will be the largest
Earth Day celebration ever in Denver and we
need all the help we can get. We need folks to help
work the festival in City Park. If you are interested
in donating your time and being part of this HISTORIC
event, please write to bertm@rocktheearth.org.
Volunteers will be given special gifts, and we're
also hoping to throw a volunteer-only party following
the event.
Vendors
RtE is also in charge of all vending at the event
- from sustainability oriented non-profit organizations
and green businesses to arts and crafts
vendors to healthy and organic food vendors
- the vending village at Green Apple will have something
for everyone! If you are involved in a nonprofit or
have a business that would like a booth at the festival
on 4/20, please write to info@rocktheearth.org.
Rockin'
Green Apple San Francisco, Chicago and Washington,
DC, Too!
On
April 20, we'll also have Rock the Earth booths at
Green Apple in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, Chicago's
Lincoln Zoo, and on the National Mall in Washington,
DC. We need volunteers to help educate and activate
fans in those cities. If you are willing to volunteer
in any of these Green Apple Cities, please contact
the following RtEers:
San
Francisco: Tree Plant - Tree@rocktheearth.org
Washington,
DC: Rob Hillard - Robh@rocktheearth.org
Chicago:
Sara Pekar - Sarap@rocktheearth.org
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Businesses
Rockin' Earth Day!
RtE
is proud to announce several businesses collaborating
with us this Earth Day. Events and celebrations take
place throughout the week of April 11th - 20th. These
businesses are helping our organization by donating
a portion of their sales to Rock the Earth. It's not
too late to participate!! If your business would like
to join us in this Rockin' Earth Day collaboration,
please call our office at 303-454-3304 or write to
LuLu at info@rocktheearth.org.
As always, RtE will be a good steward of your contributions,
and by working together we can all be part of the
solution.
 Two
businesses already committed to helping us Defend
the Planet, One Beat at a Time.
Herbs
& Arts (2015 E. Colfax Ave, Denver,
Colorado) is donating 10% of all purchases made on
April 18, 2008 will be donated to Rock the Earth.
 Ethical
Planet
(1110 W. Davis St. Evanston, Illinois) is donating
10% of all purchase made between April 12 and 19,
2008, for anyone who mentions the organization by
name in the comments section when they place an order.
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RtE
Seeks Summer Outreach Interns
RtE 2006 Summer Intern Bridget
Carey |
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 2007 Summer Tour, and look forward
to reaching even greater heights in 2008! If you are
interested in learning more about the Summer Outreach
Intern positions, please email us at Your browser
may not support display of this info@rocktheearth.org.
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 RtE
March Auction - Signed SCI Print!
This
limited edition print by famed concert poster artist
Jeff
Wood, commemorates the final New York
City run of shows by the String Cheese Incident
(July 11-14, 2007) at the venerable Beacon Theatre.
This 5-color, silk screen print (approx. 10"
x 25") is signed and numbered by Wood
(29/450) and is also signed by ALL of the members
of the String Cheese Incident. This print is in
mint condition and is a MUST HAVE for any fan of the
band or collector of rock art! Both Drowning Creek
and SCI Gear are completely SOLD OUT of this very
special item.
To
view the auction, go
here. Hurry - auction ends on March 31!
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Patagonia's
Rockin' Contest - RtE Still Needs Your Help!
 With
the forthcoming opening of their Boulder, Colorado
store on April 5th, Patagonia has offered Rock the
Earth the chance to win a $5,000 grant by gaining
the most votes from the public. Between now and March
29th, please go to www.Patagonia.com/boulder
and vote for Rock the Earth as your charity of choice.
Since announcing this contest in January, the competition
has been fast and furious and we need as many of you
as possible to please keep spreading the word.
To
put things in perspective, $5,000 means 500 hours
of low-cost legal assistance to help preserve some
of America's natural spaces like Grand Canyon or Yellowstone
National Park! Please help Rock the Earth win by voting
at www.Patagonia.com/boulder,
and please help spread the word!
To
read more about the April 5 Boulder store opening,
go
here.
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Rockin'
the Fox Theatre in Boulder With Free Tickets and VIP
Upgrades!
As
we announced last month, Rock the Earth has entered
into what we hope will be a year-long series of events
with Boulder's Fox
Theatre. Rock the Earth will be tabling
upcoming shows this spring, educating and activating
fans about important local and national environmental
issues:
FREE
TICKETS: If you are already of Member of Rock
the Earth, you can win a pair of FREE TICKETS
to the above concerts at the Fox. To enter your name,
write to info@rocktheearth.org
put either Outformation or PGroove in the Subject
line.
VIP
UPGRADES: If you are at the show, and either JOIN
RtE or RENEW your membership, you could win
a VIP Upgrade to the Balcony!
To
volunteer, contact bertm@rocktheearth.org.
For more information: www.rocktheearth.org
or www.foxtheatre.com.
...and
the Oriental Theater in Denver
On
April 4 and 5, two of our musical partners, New
Monsoon and Dumpstaphunk,
will be playing not one, but two benefit shows for
Rock the Earth. Both shows will take place at the
Oriental
Theater in Denver. $1 from every ticket
sold will be donated to Rock the Earth in honor of
Earth Day 2008! Please join us at the Oriental for
this awesome double-bill for a great cause!
Tickets
are on sale now at
cervantes.baselineticketing.com.
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How
do YOU Rock the Earth? Let us see!
 Without
Rock the Earth's engaged members, we wouldn't be able
to have nearly the impact that we do. Rock the Earth
members consistently send project ideas, help table
at events, and help spread the word about our fantastic
grassroots organization.
We're
asking our members to step up once again. One of the
features in each month's newsletter is a Rockin'
the Earth photo, with members and friends in unique
natural or concert settings. The next time you head
out to one of these special places, bring along your
Rock the Earth gear and a camera.
Send
in a photo of you, your friends, or your favorite
musicians wearing a RtE shirt, along with a description
of where and when the picture was taken. Winners will
receive a FREE RtE tote bag to sport around
town and we'll feature you in an upcoming newsletter!
Send your photos to info@RockTheEarth.org
by April 30th and show us how you Rock the Earth!
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In
the Key of Green: Sheet
Mulch Gardening
 Sheet
mulch gardening is a simple and inexpensive and easy
way to create a new garden bed and transform a weed-laden
patch into a beautiful addition to your yard or garden.
It's fast, easy, cheap and involves no digging.
Sheet
mulching is essentially just applying a thick layer
of straw, wood chips, leaf matter or other plant material
layered over cardboard or newspaper. The cardboard
kills the weeds and serves as a barrier that weeds
cannot penetrate, while the mulch covers the cardboard.
Both the mulch and cardboard will decompose adding
to the benefit of the soil and provide a nice loamy
workable environment.
Flatten
the weeds out and cover with cardboard or newspaper
(30-40 sheets) making sure it overlaps or weeds will
grow through. Wetting down the cardboard softens it
a little and makes it a little easier to work with.
Cover
with compost of your choice making sure to make a
deep layer of about 3 inches. Then cover the compost
with a mulch of straw, cut grass or leaves to stop
the surface from drying out.
To
plant, simply cut a hole in the cardboard and plant
in the underlying soil. Small plants can be planted
directly into the mulch.
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Volunteers
Rock!
If
you are looking for ways to get more involved with
Rock the Earth, now is the time to step up and make
your voice heard. Here some ways you might volunteer
with Rock the Earth:
- Participating
in environmental education, membership solicitation
and outreach at events
-
Providing regional coordination of events and volunteers
- Supporting
our fundraising & membership drives
- Offering
legal & technical assistance to RtE projects
- Assisting
with data entry & mailings in our Denver office
- Writing
press releases
Please
drop a note to volunteer@RocktheEarth.org
and a let us know how you wish to get involved. Be
sure to include your name, geographical area, and
the best way in which we can contact you. We look
forward to rocking the earth with your help in 2008!
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A
Rockin' 2007!
The
fourth Annual Report from Rock the Earth is complete
and can
be found here. Highlights from 2007
include:
-
RtE's continued mercurial growth in membership (nearly
2,100 members in all 50 states).
-
RtE legal and technical staff worked on over a dozen
substantive matters, highlighted by continued work
on RtE's first lawsuit against the National Park
Service for their mismanagement of the stretch of
the Colorado River that passes through Grand Canyon
National Park.
- RtE
had a presence at over 125 concert dates throughout
the United States.
- RtE
raised over $125,000 from memberships, sponsorships,
donations, grants and auctions.
If
you would like a hard copy of the Annual Report, you
can obtain one by sending a request and your mailing
address to info@RockTheEarth.org.
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Member
Benefits
 |
10%
discount on all merchandise from The
Faded Line Clothing Company |
 |
20%
off beautiful nature ecards from Tree
Greetings that plant a tree
for someone special! |
 |
20%
off all Advice from Nature books, journals, t-shirts,
postcards, bookmarks and tree planting cards from
Your
True Nature |
 |
20%
off all products from Guayaki
Yerba Mate |
 |
20%
off Eco
Express gift baskets (or donate
20% of all full-priced orders to Rock the Earth
by designating donation in comments section of
each order) |
 |
20%
off Bamboosa
products |
 |
20%
off SCIGear
merchandise |
 |
Special
contests and discounts on concert tickets |
| To
find out how you can take advantage of these Members
Only benefits, write to info@rocktheearth.org. |
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Jason
Hann Rocks the Earth: Interview
Photo by Susan J. Weiand
02/09/08 at The Fillmore
New Monsoon/EOTO show |
Embracing
rhythms from all parts of the globe is second nature
to composer/percussionist/drummer Jason
Hann. An accomplished musician who's
played professionally since childhood, Jason grew
up in Miami, Florida, where he was exposed early in
life to international music through his father, also
a musician, and through his mother, through her Colombian
heritage. Jason's musical journeys have taken him
around the world, where he's studied first-hand in
countries such as Mali, Ghana, Haiti and Korea and
has performed folkloric and contemporary music of
those lands. Known as dynamic performer, Jason has
produced, composed, recorded and toured internationally
within many different genres of music, including Rock,
R&B, Pop, Hip Hop/Rap, Jazz, Latin, Latin-Jazz,
Flamenco, African, Persian, Electronica, Techno, Brazilian,
Indian and other fusions of world music.
In
addition to his current musical project EOTO,
Jason's musical energy has found expression through
The String Cheese Incident and each of his fellow
band members' ongoing musical projects, through his
solo electronica and all-percussion recordings, and
through working with other artists such as Loreena
McKinnet and Vinx. Jason continues to hit road with
legendary soul man Issac Hayes when possible. With
a diverse background of musical collaborations that
include Youssou N'Dour, Keller Williams, Rickie Lee
Jones and Dr. Dre, it is evident that Jason will continue
living in the musical moment for a long time to come.
What
environmental issue(s) do you consider to be the most
critical at this time?
Internationally I think the most critical issue is
developing a system of putting a cap on pollution
and emissions per country, and finding a way of policing
the agreement. Industrialized countries have had free
reign with throwing their trash all over the world
for many years, and the rest of the world is paying
for it. Developing countries look to those practices
as models for how to build their nations-- perpetuating
the act of being cheap and disregarding waste rather
than fostering global integrity. Industrialized countries
need to be harder on themselves when exercising decisions
that affect developing nations, in order to ease accusations
of hypocrisy on these issues.
Here in the U.S. it is critical to direct government
subsidies away from oil companies and redirect them
towards creating a renewable energy industry. With
record-breaking profits every quarter for the past
few years, big oil no longer needs the welfare checks
they are habitually given by the American taxpayer.
In case you haven't noticed, big oil is doing fine.
The oil industry was created by using government subsidies,
but the savings are never passed on to the consumers
who have paid for developing the industry.
Americans
need to know that within our model of capitalism we
continue to create and sustain some industries (including
oil) with our taxes. It's ironic how some people in
the U.S. get angry about our welfare system and claim
that there are people who "take advantage"
of the system, when we spend more giving this same
form of welfare to some of the wealthiest businesses
on the planet. It's equivalent to giving a free check
to a billionaire-- if that's not being taken advantage
of I don't know what is.
Directing
subsidies toward building a "green" industry
is vital to reducing our dependence on oil and is
vital towards cleaning up our act in front of the
world, so the U.S. can become an actual leader of
something good again. It's money that is already being
spent, so redirecting it won't cost more than we're
already paying. If our current trillion-dollar deficit
had been spent on converting our dinosaur energy sources
into a system that allows for the expansion of efficient
energy sources instead of war, I wonder where we would
be today. A solar-powered Manhattan or Los Angeles
seems way cooler than building another leaky oil pipeline,
transporting oil by rusty fuel-guzzling tankers, or
sending another couple tons of nuclear waste out to
sea.
What
has inspired you to combine environmental activism
with your music?
I honestly don't consider myself an environmental
activist. When we're on the road, we try to use biodiesel
as often as we can find it. We also try to sort our
trash in the RV and hang on to it until we can find
an appropriate recycling bin. We usually support the
co-ops/health food stores, and buy organically grown
products. We do it more because those foods taste
better and are better for you than anything else,
and it's pretty easy to make these things happen.
We
recently found a great book called The Better World
Shopping Guide that we've been using to understand
our day-to-day buying power. The book reflects the
types of companies we support as consumers of materials
and services; it groups some of the largest companies
by industry and ranks them by letter. It contains
simple straight-forward charts and gives a very brief
explanation of why each company is positive or negative
based on how ethically responsible they are, i.e.,
whether or not the company utilizes sweatshop labor,
the level to which the company contributes to global
pollution, etc. The book is a basic guide to help
you know who the "good guys" and "bad
guys" are in the corporate world, and how they
compare.
Ultimately
it's best for each of us as consumers to do our own
research to find the companies and products we want
to support with our spending dollars, but this book
is great start if you've never thought about it, or
were curious about the common things you purchase
(cereal, coffee, pasta, plane flights, credit cards,
banks, beer...). This has made a huge difference for
me even when I go into a typical gas station on the
road to buy water—I like being able to make a
more conscious decision about what I'm buying. It's
one way we all will be able to affect the world in
the immediate future, because the only thing most
companies know, recognize, or respond to is the dollars
that are spent on their products.
It's tricky to find eco-friendly services on the touring
circuit. We love when we go into a state like Oregon
where it's easier to find these services. It's a weird
situation, because the nature of our business is logging
thousands of road miles in a vehicle that guzzles
gas. It's what we do for our living so we just try
to be as conscious as possible within our situation.
I think that's all an average person can do on a day-to-day
basis.
The leaders of our government need to step forward
and bring us to a point where "environmental
activism" isn't considered a separate activity
that is done mostly by hippies. As a kid in the 70s,
I remember when people were still throwing trash out
their car windows on the freeway. Until there were
laws against it, people didn't think twice about it.
There was a time when it used to be cool to not wear
a -seat belt, until you started to pay a fine for
not wearing one. Imagine that--getting a fine for
not caring about saving your own life or the life
of another person/child in the car. Many people don't
care about an issue until they have to… until
it affects their wallets. Caring about the environment
isn't at the forefront of our daily lives because
many people in government get paid good money on the
side by lobbyists to not care about the environment
and to not put it at the forefront of their policies.
We've been to festivals in Japan where, at the end
of the show, people pick up the immediate trash around
them and put it in respective recycling bins. Fifteen
minutes after the last band finishes, you don't see
any trash on the festival grounds. When you grow up
in a culture that encourages it (in Japan it's out
of necessity), it's not even an afterthought, it's
just something that is done.
Where is your favorite place in nature to go to find
solace or inspiration?
Venice Beach always does it for me. When I lived in
San Diego, Balboa Park got the job done. When we're
on the road, Mt. Shasta and the Redwoods usually deliver.
Central Park has had amazing moments.
I
was out in Timbuktu, Mali, West Africa last year.
We stayed right in middle of this city in the dessert
with the Tomasheq people whose monthly life cycle
consists of mining salt for 15 days roaming the dessert,
and being home the next 15 days. We crossed the Niger
River on ferry to get there. That did it for me. I
can be inspired by cycling through my ipod, but the
x-factor usually kicks in when I'm out in nature.
My
home is where I find the best solace.
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Attention
Bay Area Rockers!
Some
of you may have heard about the April 12 Rock the
Planet benefit concert, featuring our friends
in New Monsoon, ALO and RtE Advisory Board Member
David Gans, at Ashkenaz, in Berkeley. Just to clarify,
this event is to benefit Greenaction,
a Bay Area based non-profit organization working with
communities in the Bay Area and across the country
in campaigns for environmental justice and against
environmental racism. Although we hope that you will
consider attending, you should know that this event
does not in any way benefit Rock the Earth or our
work, nor are we affiliated with the event in any
way.
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Rockin'
the Earth on Tour: Photo
RtE
Board Member Steve Tighe on Hot Buttered Rum Tour
(2008)
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