5 Musicians Who’ve Gone Green
Music has long been known for advocating for change, and one thing we all know is true is that we need change right now to avert or at least lesson the impact of Global Warming. So here are five musicians who’ve put going green front and center.
The Roots
Many People know The Roots as the in-house band for Jimmy Kimmel, and others know them from jazzy hip-hop hits like The Seed 2.0 and You Got Me. But outside of late night you can catch Questlove and Black Thought advocating for the EPA in PSA, promoting veganism, and other such environmental activities. To them, not caring for the environment is just “f**ked up.”
Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke and Radiohead overall have been writing about the ills of modern society for most of their career, with albums like OK Computer being obvious indictments of the alienation of contemporary life. But Thom Yorke is also critical of modern society’s impact on Mother Earth, being a main campaigner for the environmentalist group Friends of the Earth. But don’t let the often depressing tone of his music trick you, Yorke is actually very hopeful for the future. He believes strongly that people’s thoughts on the environment are rapidly changing for the better and that supporting grassroots campaigns to pressure action for climate change are working.
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette has been a powerhouse in the alt rock scene since the mid-nineties (okay, you caught me, I am definitely writing this article from my nineties-kid point of view). She may not know what irony is, but she definitely knows what’s up with Climate Change. She narrated the documentary The Great Warming alongside Keanu Reeves, which tried to cross political barriers in America and create a broader coalition to fight global warming. She has also advocated for many other environmental causes, working with groups like Greenpeace and Americans for Energy Freedom.
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow’s environmental activism comes with a tragic personal twist. She believes that her breast cancer was caused by plastic water bottles that were overheated after being left in cars. We’re going to go with snopes on this and say the science behind that is mixed but it would not be the first time single use plastic food container ended up having carcinogens in it. But whatever the case ends up being with the plastic water bottles, Sheryl Crow activism has been undoubtedly amazing, doing everything from headline anti-Global Warming events to making her Tennessee home completely solar powered.
Jack Johnson
It’s hard not to associate Jack Johnson with a laid-back Hawaiian surfer attitude, so it probably not surprising to find him on this list. But what you might not know is just how focused he is on sustainability. From planning his venues with his carbon footprint in mind, to headlining green campaigns, to literally embarking on a goodwill boating campaign to spread awareness about single-use plastics in the ocean, he’s done more than his share to help the environment even before co-founding the Kokua Hawaii Foundation to education school children on environmentalism. He’s is truly using his talents and privileges as an internationally famous musician to do good.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this article, be sure to like our Facebook, Instagram, and follow our journal page for more. Keep rocking on for Mother Earth!