Bonneville Environmental Foundation Partners with ROTHBURY Music Festival to Promote Energy Independence
Renewable energy used to offset the event energy use and staff travel; participants encouraged to offset travel to help promote additional renewable energy programs
Rothbury, Mich. – July 1, 2008 – People who are passionate about live music and zero waste will especially enjoy the annual ROTHBURY Music Festival July 3-6 in one of the nation’s largest outdoor musical events described as a “party with a purpose.” The reason to celebrate: Participants who are passionate about live music and preserving the environment will be able to combine these aspirations by offsetting the energy use and travel while promoting wind, solar energy and planting trees.
ROTHBURY has chosen the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to offset all event production, including artist and crew travel and stage power. By estimating all fan travel (the percentage of planes, trains and automobiles), ROTHBURY offers attendees a low-cost way to carbon offset their travel (a $3 tribute added to the price of each ticket). Revenues generated from ROTHBURY will go to support the Prairie Star wind farm, located in Mower County, Minn. The project is sited on a working corn and soy farm and uses 61 wind turbines that each produce 1.65 megawatts of power. Prairie Star generates enough pollution-free electricity to serve about 35,000 households throughout the Midwest. Learn more at: www.greentagsusa.org/renewables/prairiestar.shtm.
“ROTHBURY has taken advantage of an impressive number of green best-practices in producing this festival,” said Patrick Nye, vice president of Green Tags for BEF. “This is a true showcase of how events can minimize their impacts and work in harmony with the environment.”
ROTHBURY and BEF have also joined together to donate to Global ReLeaf of Michigan, who will be planting trees in the local area. To learn more, please visit http://www.globalreleaf.org/.
In addition to carbon offsetting, ROTHBURY allows fans willing to contribute even more (a higher $7 option), beyond the original $3 offsetting fee, to help outfit a local school with solar power. ROTHBURY itself has committed to donating a minimum of $50,000 worth of solar panels. Find out more with the purchase of a ROTHBURY Green Ticket.
ROTHBURY’s theme, “Finding Energy Independence,” is guided by a bold environmental sustainability mission. Dedicated to running as close to a zero-waste event as possible, it has implemented special initiatives for the festival. Click here to learn more: http://ROTHBURYfestival.com/festival/our_commitment.php
About ROTHBURY
On July 4th weekend 2008, ROTHBURY emerges as a new American celebration. Hosted at the one-of-a-kind Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan on July 3- 6, 2008, the four day, environmentally sustainable music and camping festival promises to be an inspiring cultural assembly. This celebration of music, art, and action will harness the unique energy of the live music community into a durable social movement toward an important cause: Climate Change and Clean Energy Alternatives. In addition to a diverse and stellar lineup of bands including Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, John Mayer, 311, Phil Lesh and Friends, Primus, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Gov’t Mule, Slightly Stoopid, STS9, Colbie Caillat, Rodrigo y Gabriela and many, many others, ROTHBURY will host an Epicenter Fair and an Environmental Think Tank featuring curator Dr. Stephen Schneider. With over 70 bands on 8 stages and unprecedented efforts to make a large scale event green, ROTHBURY is truly a “Party with a Purpose.” For more information on ROTHBURY, visit www.rothburyfestival.com
About the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF)
Founded in 1998, the non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation furthers the development and use of new renewable energy resources and restores watershed ecosystems. With the goal of powering change, BEF reduces dependency on fossil fuels by adopting clean, environmentally friendly sources of energy. Through revenues generated from the sales of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and biomass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 2000 and has helped establish national standards for certification and trading. More information is available on the Web at www.b-e-f.org or www.GreenTagsUSA.org.
