ARTISTS GOING GREEN
The climate crisis is an issue that we can no longer ignore. It is a fast paced problem that is only getting worse. That is why we all need to come together to act efficiently and consciously in order to make decisions that will not have a detrimental impact on our planet.
There are thousands of activists on the planet who are speaking out about the issue and are trying to inspire others to think about their everyday decisions.
The artists that we listen to are some of those activists who are succeeding in spreading awareness about the Climate Crisis and are using their platforms to discuss how we can all make changes in our lives that will help significantly.
Here are a few artists listed below and how each of them are using their fame to reach out to people in order to target the problem that we are facing.
PAUL MCCARTNEY -
Paul McCartney spoke out about the climate change crisis by saying “the only people who aren’t responding are the government”. His latest album ‘Egyptian Station’ has hints throughout it that suggest deep frustration with the crisis. In an interview with the Sun, McCartney discusses the character in the song and how they are ‘symbolic of politicians who argue that climate change is a hoax.’ He goes on to say how the song challenges "this idea of, ‘It’s all gonna be fine, don’t worry.’ Oh yeah, sure, there are icebergs melting but it doesn’t matter because they’re not melting in London, so no need to worry”.
NEIL YOUNG -
Legendary Neil Young has never been one to dismiss the climate crisis that is upon us and is still actively addressing the issue to this day. Only in 2019 did he realised an album titled ‘Colorado’ which speaks plenty of truth about the issue.
His song ‘Green is Blue’ is an upsetting song about how the world is slowly changing for the worst. The lyrics represent this songs meaning perfectly.
'We saw tomorrow, we long for a better day
And I know why green is blue
There's so much we didn't do
Oh, I know why green is blue
We heard the warning calls, ignored them
We watched the weather change, we saw the fires and floods’
It is a devastating song that ends on a high
'When I look at the future / I see hope for you and me / Have to shut the whole system down’, these powerful words show that Young still has so much hope.
BRIAN MAY -
Artists like Brian May are helping to save the planet in a slightly different way. After taking part in ‘Veganuary’ 2020, he decided that he could not turn back as he believes following a plant-based diet ‘is the way forward’.
Evidence proves that following a meat-free and dairy-free diet is one of the best ways to reduce our impact on the environment as animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. A study held at the University of Oxford found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent.
BILLIE EILISH -
Billie Eilish is an artist who has spoken out against the climate crisis on multiple occasions. Being one of the worlds biggest pop-stars, she has always used her platform to reach out to her huge fan base and influence people to make more environmentally conscious decisions.
Eilish is partnered with Global Citizen (a company that aim to end extreme poverty by 2030) and has given people the opportunity to win tickets to her European tour if they join the movement. As well as this, she is also offering free tickets to her US tour if you took action to save the planet.
Her tour is also going to be going green as she is looking at how to reduce plastic waste and increase recycling. She spoke out at an interview and said “there are no plastic straws allowed, the fans are going to bring their own water bottles, there’s going to be recycle cans everywhere, because it’s like, if something’s recyclable, it doesn’t matter unless there’s a recycle bin.”
Eilish, much like Brian May, is also following a plant-based diet for environmental and ethical reasons. She told Variety that it’s a “really good time to be vegan in life” now because there’s so many options out there.
ADELE -
Adele has begun supporting a British charity called Drop4Drop which is a charity with the intention of helping the world’s water crisis, they do this by funding sustainable, local clean water solutions in countries around the world. This is a solution that will not only benefit the planet, but will also be good for a persons day to day life. Adele tweeted about her support for the charity and used her huge following fan-base to allow thousands of people to gain awareness of the issue, and with that came thousands of follows for the Charity.
RADIOHEAD -
Radiohead are known for their efforts towards helping the environment. They are another band who have partnered with environmental causes like Friends of the Earth. As well as that, they have made their tours eco-friendly and now ship their gear instead of transporting via airfreight. Adding to that, they run their buses on biofuel and are adamant about using water flasks/bottles instead of disposable/plastic bottles.
Thom Yorke and collaborator Stanley Donwood have also launched a range of t-shirts to contribute to the Music Declares Emergency’s ‘No Music On A Dead Planet’ to help tackle climate change. They are made from certified organic cotton and are printed in the UK in a renewable energy powered factory.
Music Declares Emergency’s aim is to encourage the music industry to drive public understanding of the global emergency as well as to pressure the government into acting immediately on the climate and biodiversity loss.
FOALS -
The English Indie-Rock band Foals, are major advocates nowadays in representing the issues of climate change and what needs to be done to end the deadly problem.
Their latest album release ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’ sums up the issue perfectly.
But the album holds multiple anthems that advocate for the environmental matter.
One song on their album ‘Like Lightening’ has an eye opening, cartoon video to support the song.
The video visually demonstrates to the viewer the problems and their disastrous affects:
PROBLEMS
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Car emissions
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Plastic waste
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Oil spills
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Factory farming
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Rainforest destruction
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Air transportation
AFFECTS
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Flash Floods / extreme weather conditions
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Ice caps melting - rise in sea levels
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Animal Extinction
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Harmed sea creatures
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Slaughtering of animals for the meat industry
The protagonist in the video is an ape like creature who begins trapped in a cage watching the news in a mans house. His anger leads to him escaping and going on a mission to (as it says on his cap) ‘make the world great again’. Each person who is struck by lightening is automatically enlightened and helps the protagonist by living eco friendly lives and restoring the world.
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WILL.I.AM -
Will.I.Am has launched a brand called EKOCYCLE in collaboration with Coca-Cola to try and make sustainable living cool and more appealing for more people. They are a collecting, processing and advising company who give you ways of putting your plastic waste to better use. The brand has collaborated with top companies like Beats and New Era in order to produce products for people made from recycled materials.
From all of this, we can gather that there are multiple ways that we can individually resolve this nightmare.
Try ditching your car and using public transport, carpooling or even better… getting your bike out of the garage. And although air travel may seem like a distant memory for many of us, consider cutting down on air transportation and appreciate the nature that is already surrounding you.
Reducing your meat and dairy consumption until you no longer crave the carcasses and can only remember it as a crime against animals .
Take the time to watch eye opening documentary’s like Earthlings, Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives and Seaspiracy to really understand the impact that the industry has on the planet as well as the animals themselves.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is an organisation worth exploring.
Buy a reusable water bottle, coffee cup, shopping bag and consider buying bamboo cups and toothbrushes, in order to save your suppressed sea-life.
https://www.chillysbottles.com/uk
Have you ever thought about adopting an animal as a gift? Organisations like the WWF give you the opportunity to adopt a variety of different wild animals meaning that you will be protecting the animals and the habitats that they each depend on.
You can even plant a tree in the rainforest as a gift!
https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-as-a-gift
https://www.thegiftedtree.com/planting-locations/central-and-south-america/
What steps will you take in order to preserve your planet? Where will your journey begin? Please make sure that your future consists of conscious decisions.