BURBANK, CA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Building on the success of last year, Boston-bred fan favorites Guster have once again teamed up with environmental action group Reverb to launch the second annual Campus Consciousness Tour this Spring. By joining forces with Reverb, a nonprofit organization founded by Guster guitarist-vocalist Adam Gardner and his wife Lauren Sullivan, the band aims to spread environmental awareness and inspire students to get involved with earth-friendly causes.
"The feedback and results from last year's tour have been incredibly encouraging," says Gardner. "Students truly want to be a part of the solution. We hope to empower these students with the information they need to take action, while supporting the on-campus groups that already are involved."
The tour kicks off March 28th in Winston-Salem, NC at Wake Forest University. At each stop, Reverb will erect an interactive eco-village — titled the "Shift(TM) Consciousness Pavilion" — featuring booths and exhibits where students can feel, taste, smell, see and hear the latest in environmental innovation.
This year's Pavilion title sponsor is Stonyfield Farm, the organic yogurt makers that believe in sustainable energy for people and the planet. Stonyfield Farm will be offering samples of its new organic energy drink, Shift(TM), and bringing non-profit partner, Climate Counts, a new organization that tells consumers about the climate change practices of their favorite brands.
Visitors to the Pavilion will have the opportunity to learn about renewable energy and alternative fuels, hear from on-campus and non-profit environmental groups, and donate food to a local food bank through tour partner, Rock For a Remedy. Students can also offset their own personal energy use by purchasing "Big Green Friend" carbon-offset stickers. Ben & Jerry's will be providing sample ice cream treats as part of their "Lick Global Warming" campaign, and myGreenElectonics.org will be promoting responsible electronic use, reuse and recycling.
The tour will also feature daytime events at each campus, including a "Town Hall Forum" organized by the Campus Climate Challenge and the Sustainable Endowments Institute. The Forum will discuss sustainable choices colleges and universities can make in managing their resources — including billions invested in leading corporations.
"With a total of $350 billion in endowment assets, U.S. schools have incredibly strong shareholder power to promote positive environmental change," says Mark Orlowski, founding director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute. Mark will lead a discussion on how schools, as institutional investors, can take a conscious stand on global warming.
Other events include a "Pimp My Clean Ride" demonstration where attendees can check out the inside of the biodiesel-powered tour bus, and the Shift(TM) Shout-Out video contest, where visitors to the Shift(TM) Shout-Out video booth on campus can record their thoughts about climate change. Winners will receive cash prizes for themselves and their favorite charities.
As they do with each of Guster's tours, Reverb will "green" the tour itself by powering buses with clean-burning domestically made biodiesel fuel, which has prevented nearly a hundred thousand pounds of carbon dioxide emissions since making the switch from regular diesel last spring. In addition, every Guster concert since last spring has been made "carbon-neutral" by purchasing renewable energy credits through the Native American owned renewable energy company, Native Energy. Over 2,100 tons of carbon dioxide have been neutralized through Guster's offset program — the equivalent of not driving 4.2 million miles or powering 262 homes for an entire year.
"Each time we launch a tour, we try to find new ways to make it more green," Gardner says. This tour will include various efforts from requesting eco-friendly products backstage to using rechargeable batteries for instruments on stage. The band is also offering eco-friendly merchandise including the band's first carbon-neutral release, the "Satellite EP," printed on FSC certified paper with soy inks.
Reverb, which Gardner and Sullivan founded in 2004, counts on the powerful connection between musicians and their audiences to educate, inspire, and activate fans while greening the music industry at large. The company has recently worked with Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Jack Johnson, Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, Bonnie Raitt, O.A.R., Ray LaMontagne, and many others as well as the Warner Music Group and concert venues across the country.
For more information about Reverb, visit www.ReverbRock.org. For more information about the Campus Consciousness Tour, visit www.CampusConsciousness.org.
The complete tour dates are as follows:
March
28 – Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest University
29 – Savannah, GA – Lucas Theatre
30 – Macon, GA – Mercer University
31 – Crawfordsville, IN – Wabash College
April
2 – Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall
3 – Norman, OK – University of Oklahoma
4 – Tulsa, OK – University of Tulsa
6 – Austin, TX – Stubb's
7 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
9 – Macomb, IL – Western Illinois University
10 – Decorah, IA – Luther College
13 – New York, NY – Beacon Theater
14 – New York, NY – Beacon Theater
20 – Boston, MA – Opera House
21 – Boston, MA – Opera House
26 – Williamstown, MA – Williams College
27 – Middlebury, VT – Middlebury College
28 – Loudonville, NY – Siena College
29 – Baltimore, MD – Loyola College
More dates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
