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At a time when going green is a new fashion trend among celebrities and those who aspire to be like them, there are few who serve as true catalysts for the cause.  Hawaiian native and recording artist, Jack Johnson, is one of them. He has become not only a symbol of laid-back acoustic music, but also an eco-conscious artist/businessman. By transforming the way his music is created and enjoyed by people all across the globe, he has taken his pro-environmental words and made them into reality.

Johnson has developed an innovative, environmental recording studio in which to make his music. He uses recycled material to distribute it. His world tours not only offset carbon emissions, but invest in new environmental technology. And he uses much of the proceeds to help preserve at-risk ecosystems.

Brushfire Records
In 2002, Jack partnered with Emmett Malloy to create Brushfire Records. With the acquisition and renovation of a residential building, they fashioned one of the first green recording studios. The duo installed solar panels on the building’s roof, which provide enough energy to power the studio and offices within the building. Through increasing the efficiency of lighting and fixtures, they have lowered their consumption of energy as well. And still connected to the Los Angeles power grid, the excess energy generated from the solar panels helps to power the surrounding community—further offsetting the company’s environmental impact.

In addition to running on solar energy, recycled materials were incorporated into the renovated building. By using cotton from old denim jeans, the walls were insulated with 100% post-consumer waste. The roof was completed with recycled shingles and a duro-last green roof. All the furniture throughout the building is secondhand—from either thrift stores or donated by friends. Even the packaging and plastic trays for their music are made from recycled material. Brushfire Records is also working with their distributor, Universal, in the development of soy-based inks and biodegradable shrink-wrap, both of which would heavily influence the rest of the music industry to reduce their environmental impact.    

Carbon-Neutral World Tour
In 2008, Jack was successful in creating a concert tour that was 100% carbon neutral.
For example:

• The 2008 world tour included buses, coaches and generators powered by 14,000 gallons of sustainable bio-diesel fuel.
• The band recycled and composted more than 70 tons of waste from the US leg of the tour alone.
• Funds were donated to new renewable-energy projects—wind and solar—as well as to groups working to preserve old-growth jungles and forests.
• Contributions to other programs offset the tour’s remaining carbon emissions.

As a result, 4,172 metric tons of CO₂ were offset from the 2008 summer tour.

In an era when green is the new black, many people wear the façade of being green on their sleeves. Then there are those, like Jack Johnson, whose eco actions are making a real impact among his fans, on his industry and around the world. Whether in a concert hall on the Jersey shore, a music store in Seattle, a rainforest in the Amazon or a recording studio in an L.A. suburb, Jack Johnson’s positive environmental presence is a universal inspiration.

Additional resources:
Official Jack Johnson site
Jack Johnson’s music
An Environmental Song for Kids: Jack Johnson's 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'

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