7 March 2019: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and REVERB launched a partnership to encourage music fans to take action in support of the environment. The partnership began at the 2019 Fleetwood Mac tour, where fans can visit an action village and take the UN CleanSeas pledge to eliminate plastic waste.

According to UNEP, concerts, festivals and music tours have a significant environmental impact. They generate “enormous energy consumption,” and hundreds of thousands of participants produce significant amounts of waste and travel-related carbon emissions. At the same time, live music offers an opportunity to create positive change for people and the planet.

Through the initiative, UNEP and REVERB will work with musicians to educate and engage music fans on environmental issues and identify opportunities to mitigate carbon emissions. The initiative will also promote the reduction of single-use plastic waste through the UN’s CleanSeas campaign and REVERB’s RockNRefill initiative, which has eliminated the use of over 2.4 million single-use plastic bottles at concerts in North America since 2013.

UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, REVERB Advisory Board Member and musician, Jack Johnson, highlighted how musicians can build awareness on environmental and climate issues and inspire fans to take action in their daily lives. Jackson described how he worked with his crew to reduce his tours’ environmental footprint over the past decade. He said they “work with venues to conserve energy, reduce food waste and single-use plastic, and support carbon offset projects around the world.”

REVERB is a nonprofit organization that aims to empower individuals to take action towards a better future for people and the planet at concerts and beyond. [UNEP Press Release]