Tim Vincent-Smith, Lead Artist and Co-Director of Pianodrome joins Earth Care for episode 11 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry series. Pianodrome’s home base is in Edinburgh, Scotland and is a radical re-imagining of the piano in today’s throw away culture. In this episode, Tim Vincent-Smith walks us through the careful labour that goes into dissecting a piano, then upcycling it into something new. He shares details on their adopt-a-piano days and how many pianos it takes to build an amphitheater. Tim also shares a few special stories about musical experiences from the amphitheater and the community it’s built.

Kristie Peterson, Artist Liaison at Wear Your Music, joins Earth Care for episode 10 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry Series. Wear Your Music is a sustainable music merchandise company that specializes in upcycling donated guitar strings into wearable jewelry. They strive to help green the music industry, connect fans to their favourite musicians and raise money for charities around the globe.

In this episode, Kristie Peterson discusses the backstory of how Wear Your Music began diverting guitar strings from the landfill for a cause. We also chat about the artists they’ve worked with, the process of creating wearable jewelry, and charitable donations. Kristie emphasizes the power of creativity in sustainability and shares a pretty neat personal concert experience that was connected to a donated guitar string.

Jan Portheine, Co-Founder & CEO of KarTent, joins Earth Care for episode 9 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry Series.  KarTent is a sustainable solutions company based out of Amsterdam. Their name means cardboard tent because their original product was exactly that! After witnessing the waste left on music festival campgrounds, founders Jan and Wout wanted to develop a solution. Through their research, they found that 1 in 4 tents were left behind at festivals in the Netherlands alone.  In this episode, Jan discusses the problem of tents left behind at music festivals and the sustainable solution his company offers.

Kate Johnston, Executive Director of Hillside Festival, joins Earth Care for episode 8 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry Series. Hillside Festival is an eco-friendly festival located in Guelph, Ontario that has been celebrating music and community for over 40 years. Their Mission Statement reads, the Hillside Community Festival is a not-for-profit music festival that celebrates creativity through artistic expression, community engagement and environmental leadership. In this episode, Kate discusses the sustainability initiatives implemented at Hillside Festival. The conversation covers various topics, including transportation, food waste reduction, solar power integration, the green living roof, projects for artists, and advice for festival fans.

Aaron Brice, Founder and Director of Ambient Inks, joins Earth Care for episode 7 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry Series. In this episode, Aaron Brice discusses the beginnings of Ambient Inks and their focus on supporting artists. Aaron shares his journey towards sustainability, including a transformative trip to Haiti. They also talk about the challenges and changes in costing and sourcing sustainable materials. Aaron emphasizes the importance of communication and education in promoting sustainable merch. They discuss the negative impact of fast fashion and the need for slow fashion in the music industry. Finally, they explore how fans can support the sustainable merch movement!

Michel Smit, CEO of Energy Floors in the Netherlands, joins Earth Care for episode 6 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry Series. In this episode, Michel discusses the concept of kinetic energy and how it can be harnessed to generate electricity. He explains how the idea for Energy Floors was born out of a desire to make nightclubs and festivals more sustainable. Michel also shares his experience working with Coldplay on their Music of Spheres tour and how the kinetic Energy Floors were integrated into the concert experience. Additionally, we learn about the logistics of building and transporting the Energy Floors and the impact they have on reducing the tour's carbon footprint. Michel emphasizes the importance of making renewable energy fun and engaging for people.

Laura Purdy, General Manager at Exhibition Place in Toronto, joins Earth Care for episode 5 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry Series. In this episode, Laura Purdy takes us behind the scenes at Exhibition Place to better understand the sustainability initiatives in motion. Laura explains how the site has achieved LEED certification, with Enercare Centre being LEED Platinum and Beanfield Centre being LEED Silver. We also discuss the various green practices that have been implemented such as retrofitting, district energy systems, green roofs, waste management programs and rescue bees!

Hannah George, Sustainability Coordinator at SWG3  joins Earth Care for episode 4 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry series.  In 2022, SWG3 introduced a form of renewable energy that no other venue had tapped into, BODYHEAT. Since then, SWG3 has been powering music gigs and live events thanks to energy generated by all of the venue’s visitors. s episode, Hannah discusses the venue's journey to becoming net-zero and the various sustainability initiatives SWG3 has implemented. She explains the BODYHEAT technology and shares how long it took the venue to create it. We also learn about SWG3’s reusable cup system, the circular swap shop, the active travel initiative, and their plans for reducing touring emissions. Hannah emphasizes the importance of collaboration and communication within the live music industry to drive sustainability efforts. 

Avigail Kohn from SkyNRG joins Earth Care for episode 3 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry series. In this episode, Avigail discusses The Climate Gig tool and its role in reducing emissions in the live music industry. She also shares how sustainable aviation fuel is a key component of the lowering the impact of aviation, reducing emissions by approximately 80% and potentially even 100% in the future. This conversation emphasizes the importance of climate action and education in the music industry to create a more sustainable future.

Michael Martin joins Earth Care for episode 2 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry series. He is the CEO and Founder of Effect Partners, a company that builds climate solutions with some of the largest food, entertainment and mission-aligned organizations on the planet. He’s also the CEO and Founder of R.World, the nation’s #1 reuse platform. In this episode, Michael Martin discusses his journey and the challenges faced in implementing sustainable practices. He also discusses the need to get more artists on board with sustainability initiatives and the potential for regulation to drive reusable options.

Seth and Chris from Filkin's Drift are kicking off episode 1 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry series on Earth Care. In this episode, they discuss their transition to sustainable touring in the live music industry. They share their experience of planning and embarking on an 870-mile walking tour, carrying their equipment and facing challenges along the way. The conversation highlights the importance of sustainability and the inspiration they found in meeting people living sustainably. They also discuss future plans for more sustainable tours and offer advice for artists interested in integrating sustainability into their music careers.

Welcome to Season 5 of Earth Care, where we’ll explore sustainability in the live music industry! This season launches the first "series edition" of the podcast where each conversation will dive deeper into one theme. 

Get ready to meet industry experts who will share insights, experiences, and innovative solutions that are shaping a more sustainable future for live music events. From sustainable merchandise, to upcycled pianos, to sustainable aviation fuel, we will explore how the music industry is embracing sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.