Sunday, August 26, 2007

John Mayer says to go "Light Green"

Modern guitar hero-slash-troubadour John Mayer is one of many rock stars hopping on to the conservation bandwagon. He performed at Al Gore's Live Earth concert in July, and has pledged to do his part to save the environment by converting his tour bus to Bio-Diesel. However, in his blog on his website, www.johnmayer.com, he says that being a radical environmentalist just isn't for him. In his April 26 post "(Not) Waiting On the World To Change- Entry 1," he outlines his idea for a new approach to environmentalism:

"So here I am, introducing a third side. A laid-back, panic free approach to environmentalism. One that believes the message of 'An Inconvenient Truth' is sound, but that it's an incredibly un-fun name for a movie. A side free from the cry of hypocrisy, for it doesn't make sweeping promises. A side that drives an SUV on the way to the grocery store but then produces nylon mesh bags at the checkout line. A side that believes in bringing a change of perspective to our government but letting Carl Rove [sic] finish his meal first.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Fans and Friends, I submit to you a third way: Light Green.

No thinking about "offsetting your carbon footprint". No rallies. No brow-beating people who think the Earth just has a fever. Pick one thing to change this year, and keep the rest of your life the same. After all, the only message the charts with escalating red lines are meant to send is that the red lines have to stop escalating, not that hey [sic] have to drop to the bottom of the graph by next Tuesday."


This raises a question, though: Is this kind of attitude towards the "green" lifestyle too lackadaisical, or is Mayer simply being realistic? Personally, I think it's the latter. It seems to me that many people who balk at celebrities active in the conservation movement are simply put off by the preachy, holier-than-thou attitude that many of them have (I'm looking at you, Bono). Mayer is protecting himself from accusations of hypocrisy by not claiming to be completely "green" in the first place. Besides, if you can convert your bus to run on an alternative fuel, why not spend some of your hard earned cash on that new Bentley, too?

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Hello!

Welcome to Sunshine Sounds! In this blog, I will be writing about the impact that the music industry and artists are making on global environmentalism and conservation, including bands who are making their tours more eco-friendly and those who are simply trying to raise awareness. Enjoy!