Rockin' in the Free World

The sound system on the "green stage" of the Vans Warped Tour pumps out 40,000 watts of electric mayhem and, guess what: it's all solar-powered. It's just one manifestation of a new eco-consciousness that's taking the rock world by storm. Among the environmentally aware acts named in this Christian Science Monitor piece about "rock's green days": Bio-Willie Nelson, Pearl Jam, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Guster, Ray LaMontagne, Barenaked Ladies, R.E.M., the Indigo Girls, Jack Johnson, and Bon Jovi. All of them are taking steps to be carbon-neutral while on the road and to spread the message about climate change. Bon Jovi even plays Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth between sets. The Dave Matthews Band gets the most cred, though. DMB has not only been buying renewable energy credits to offset the emissions from this year's tour; they're compensating for the greenhouse gas emissions of all their tours, going back 15 years. Well, that deserves a standing ovation. Long live rock!