Features
Q’s With Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins: Sustainably Touring With Carbon Offset
– Third Eye Blind
the Tabernacle in Atlanta
Hit-making alternative rock band Third Eye Blind is one of many making strides to become greener and promote sustainability while on the road. The San Francisco-based band and its crew eliminated plastic water bottle use in 2017 and, this year, teamed with ClimeCo to offset its tour’s carbon footprint. The partnership with ClimeCo will support conservation work on the Afognak island on Alaska, home to majestic old-growth trees and endangered species.
“For our 20th anniversary tour, we said no more straws and no single-use plastic. On that tour we saved 16,700-something plastic bottles, just us on that tour,” Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins told Pollstar.
“The local promoters were right with it. You have to get used to doing things a little differently, but everyone rolled with it and it went different way of doing things. Everybody got used to it and it worked out fine.”
Jenkins’ sustainability efforts are intricately linked to a passion of his, as the avid surfer gives lesson to soldiers suffering from PTSD through the Jimmy Miller Foundation.
This summer, Third Eye Blind is band is touring with fellow ’90s hitmakers Jimmy Eat World for a North American run produced by Live Nation that kicks off June 14 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. New music is coming, although details are scarce.
Pollstar: What brought about the new carbon offset project?
Stephan Jenkins: This year as we were putting the tour together, a fan tweeted me asking “Are you going to do carbon offsets? Pearl Jam does!” I’m not going to be outdone by Pearl Jam, that just can’t happen. This is just unacceptable. I wrote back and said yes we’ll figure it out. We started working with ClimeCo. And when we figured out our carbon offset, the biggest issue is not of ours but the fans driving to and from our shows. Not to be outdone, I said let’s offset both. It feels like a really good decision.
Can you elaborate more about the ClimeCo initiative?
We’re investing into protected forest space. The equation is that the forest produces enough oxygen to offset the carbon that we are putting into the atmosphere. These are 250-year old growth majestic trees. It’s habitat for Kodiak bear, big-horn sheep, foxes. They provide habitat as well and by doing this they can never be torn down. I want high net-worth individuals to do this as well, people who fly around on private jets. Good for you and your privileged life, now do the carbon offsets for the whole thing. You can do this in Brazil, Alaska, and make that difference now.
How closely are your sustainability efforts linked to your surfing passion?
– Stephan Jenkins
– Stephan Jenkins
The ocean is the climate, it is the planet. We’re an ocean planet, and the only miracle we know is our biology and it all happens from this confluence of water and climate. From that we have oxygen and the ability to sustain life, and that is very fragile. We see ourselves as bodyguards of the ocean. I participate in the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, and it’s all kind of connected.
We develop and foster that personal connection with the ocean and go from there.
Do you think the industry overall is on board with sustainability/conservation efforts?
I think people are just more open to it now. Today it’s, ‘How can we make this happen?’ instead of ‘That’s not for us, I’m sorry, we just can’t do it.” You don’t get those kinds of answers anymore. It’s disgusting that we have this presidency that still believes that climate change is a hoax – they don’t believe it, it just serves their greed. It’s interesting that a concert promoter is amenable, behaving far more justly than the filthy president. And you can print that in all caps.
People like Sherry Wasserman in San Francisco, the head of Another Planet. She’s been a mentor to me, she has always looked out for me and gave me my first big break in a show. She and Gregg Perloff always come to the show and it’s great to see them.
What can fans expect on the tour musically?
We’ve never sounded better than now, and never been more focused about our connection with each other and that exchange with the audience. It’s a totally different stage setup, it’s a band in full flight. We have new music coming and that always invigorates us. We are rushing to finish the new music in time for the tour. Opening night is at the Greek Theatre in LA and it’s on its way to selling out, which always amazes me because I’ve never bought a ticket except for a week before the show (laughs). So we better have it all together for opening night!
Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World 2019 Summer Gods Tour
June 14 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
June 15 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
June 18 Portland, OR Theater of The Clouds at Moda Center
June 19 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater
June 21 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
June 22 Denver, CO Levitt Pavilion
June 23 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
June 25 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre *
June 27 Chicago, IL Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
June 28 Detroit, MI Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
June 30 Indianapolis, IN Farmer’s Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park
July 2 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
July 3 Lewiston, NY Artpark
July 5 Canandaigua, NY Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center: CMAC
July 6 Portland, ME Thompson’s Point
July 8 Boston, MA Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
July 9 Wallingford, CT The Dome at Toyota presents Oakdale Theatre
July 11 Wantagh, NY Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
July 12 Scranton, PA The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
July 13 Holmdel, NJ PNC Pavilion
July 14 Philadelphia, PA BB&T Pavilion
July 16 Columbus, OH Express Live! Pavilion
July 17 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion at Riverbend
July 19 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 20 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE Outdoors
July 21 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
July 22 Atlanta, GA State Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
July 24 Nashville, IN Ascend Amphitheatre
July 25 Rogers, AR Walmart AMP
July 26 Irving, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
July 27 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
July 31 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
August 1 San Diego, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 2 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort
August 3 Irvine, CA FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance