grunge gone green

could pearl jam be any cooler? not only have they produced consistently stellar tunes since almost single-handedly saving the world from cheesy metal bands and rallied for political righteousness every chance they've gotten, they've also put together a carbon portfolio strategy, which comprises nine environmental organizations the band has deemed most worthy of backing, and included it on their web site, right next to the merch table. from the band's "activism" page:

The Carbon Portfolio Strategy is the newest component of our ongoing efforts to advance clean renewable energy and carbon mitigation. Through this Strategy, we will donate a total of $100,000 to nine organizations doing innovative work around climate change, renewable energy, and the environment.

We hope that by highlighting and creating a commons for these groups, we can advance preservation of existing ecosystems, restoration of degraded environments, and continued investment in clean, renewable energy technologies. Furthermore, by working with these groups and others to mitigate our own carbon emissions, we ultimately hope to get Pearl Jam at 0% net emissions for our tours and businesses.

i can't tell you how warm and fuzzy it is to know that musicians i've loved as long and hard as i've loved pearl jam are every bit as dedicated to the earth as they are to their fans. and they are exceptionally dedicated to those fans: when i was in their fan club, in the early 90s, i was able to score pre-sale tickets to all of their concerts--a perk they still offer. in tenth grade, my best friend wrote a letter to the band's drummer, inviting him (largely, but not entirely, jokingly) to our class ring dance. when he got the letter he called her house and talked to her for about an hour. the dance had come and gone, but to prove how flattered he was by the request he set her up with seven floor-seat tickets for the band's next show in the area. that's some serious fan appreciation. everyone said i would regret having "pj" etched onto the inside of my high school class ring, but i still don't believe it. these guys just get better and better. while none of their t-shirts are made from organic cotton (yet), they are running their tour bus on biodiesel, and the truth of the matter is that using their status to promote environmental and political awareness as ardently as they have will likely have a far greater impact than switching up their fabrics ever could--not that they shouldn't consider doing it anyway (hint, hint, boys). rock stars are heroes to a lot of people, some of them still young and malleable, and their actions--whether they're smashing instruments on stage or protesting strip mining--can have significant and lasting influence. eddie vedder has said that continuing to play an activist role has helped to make him feel eternally young; the fact that he and his bandmates are still inspiring and motivating me sixteen years after i first heard of them makes me a lot less concerned about getting old.