Green Tunes In Texas

A Texas-based provider of alternative energy and carbon-offset products, and a solar-powered sound and staging company recently announced the formation of Eco-Tunes, a carbon-neutral touring and event company.

Partners Green Mountain Energy and Sustainable Waves worked with SXSW organizers this year to calculate the festival’s carbon footprint.

Neal Turley of Sustainable Waves told Pollstar the group purchased wind energy in Texas to offset "all the carbon emissions from not only the on-site event… but also all the different SXSW offices that are located around the world, employee travel, plane flight and everything else."

With Eco-Tunes, the companies offer a variety of services including green staging and sound solutions for tours, he explained, as well as the ability to record and manufacture albums in alternative energy-powered studios and factories.

"What we’re trying to do is offer the services on the back end so that an artist can be aware of their carbon footprint and do something about that without having to be a preacher on stage," Turley said.

The companies have also joined forces with In Ticketing and All Access to offer a "Be Green Ticket" option to offset fans’ carbon emissions, according to the announcement.

The green tickets give fans up to 1,000 kilowatts of Green-e certified renewable energy certificates that can offset as much as 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide. A person could apparently produce that much CO2 by driving 1,500 miles.

"This is an exciting opportunity for music fans who want to help fight global warming by supporting new forms of renewable energy sources," Green Mountain CEO Gillian Taddune said.