Another trend is buying carbon offsets. But its effect is, well, up in the air.
Rocker Jack Johnson is offering concert-goers the opportunity to buy carbon offsets to negate the environmental impact of their travels to his shows this summer. The arenas he plays will have to meet certain standards, including the use of energy-efficient lightbulbs. "When you look at the carbon footprint of a tour, at least 75% of it is from fans traveling to and from the shows," says Brian Allenby of Reverb,
The Dave Matthews Band, Mr. Allenby says, bought offsets to counteract the 1,000 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions that it estimates the band itself produced through its buses (When not dumping crap on peoples heads), flights, venue energy use and hotel accommodations while on tour. Mr. Allenby won't say how much the band paid for those offsets.
Beyond the band, fans produce carbon emissions, largely through their travel to and from the concert. Reverb says 8,000 fans who attended the Dave Matthews Band's summer tour bought stickers, at $5 apiece, to offset emissions. Each sticker is said to offset the emission of 150 pounds of carbon dioxide, meaning the fans collectively are offsetting 650 tons of emissions.
But some of the $5 goes to produce the stickers and to support the nonprofit; Mr. Allenby won't say how much. He also says he doesn't know how many emissions the tour's fans are producing, so it's not clear how far those 650 tons will really go in greening the tour.
Would you be likelier to pay to see a band that claims to be greening its concerts? And, after you've paid for the ticket, the parking and the beer, would you pay extra for carbon offsets?
Read full with comments at the Wall Street Jornual