How Green is U2?

[doctorwho]

I came across this from an online article:

Happy Earth Day!

Mariah Carey A Little Green About Living Green: Oh Mimi, we understand that you need to be in tiptop shape, but flying your personal trainer in from St. Barts did not sit well with the readers of GreenDaily.com - and you've been voted "least green!" "People saw that as an extravagance rather than a necessity and the consequences for the planet probably don't justify it," Jonathon Morgan, editor-in-chief of the eco-conscious Web site told the New York Post's Page Six. But fear not, it's not all bad news when it comes to Hollywood being green, the Web site also polled its readers about who was best at living the green life with Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Ed Begley Jr., Brad Pitt and Prince Charles getting high marks for their earth conscious choices.

This got me wondering. Didn't Bono buy a seat for his hat once?

Also, what has made U2 - Bono in particular - green? What have U2 or Bono done to give that impression? Crusader for Africa? You bet! Green? Hmmm...

Can anyone give examples? Because I really don't know of any. Touring is hardly green (jets, trucks, cars, lights, tons of electricity, paper, cups, etc.). Recording isn't green. Even Edge was given some flack recently for wanting to build a home in an untouched area of CA. So I'm stumped. Happy for the perception, but I wonder if it's deserved.

Thanks!

 

[WCF]

Perhaps people are confusing Bono's humanitarian work for environmental work?

 

[indra]

Hmm...maybe it's all those pics of Bono looking a bit green around the gills....

 

[Rachel D.]

They're Irish.

 

[bonocomet]

The old first class ticket hat story

Highly doubtful that's anything more than a Bono-trash-urban legend.

 

[coolian2]

I came across this from an online article:

This got me wondering. Didn't Bono buy a seat for his hat once?

Also, what has made U2 - Bono in particular - green? What have U2 or Bono done to give that impression? Crusader for Africa? You bet! Green? Hmmm...

Can anyone give examples? Because I really don't know of any. Touring is hardly green (jets, trucks, cars, lights, tons of electricity, paper, cups, etc.). Recording isn't green. Even Edge was given some flack recently for wanting to build a home in an untouched area of CA. So I'm stumped. Happy for the perception, but I wonder if it's deserved.

Thanks!

i see what you did there!

 

[digitize]

They've been supporters of Greenpeace for a long time (see: Stop Sellafield), and they're buying carbon offsets (of which I'm not sure the effectiveness, but whatever) to try to cover for the fact that they'll be putting as much carbon-dioxide into our atmosphere with this tour as Venus has in its. That's about all I can think of. They might have bought carbon offsets for past tours, I don't know. But U2 are certainly capitalists, so keep that in mind.

 

[U2BROTHR]

They did a song with GREEN day.

Seriously, Bono's carbon footprint would a footprint of his platform shoes

"I don't care for pollution.....just make my Irish ass look taller"

 

[BVS]

They have supported Greenpeace several times. Contributed a song to a compilation they did and placed them in their liner notes(I think)... Did the nuclear waste stunt in the 90's...

But yeah they haven't really gone out on the limb like other artists... Probably pretty smart on their part. We all know that any artist who stands for something will get put under a microscope, it's best not to put yourself under several at a time.

 

[last unicorn]

Not easy to be green for a rockband flying private jets and taking an enormous claw around the world

 

[annj]

They're Irish.

yep they don't call it the emerald isle for nothing

 

[doctorwho]

i see what you did there!

No! No!

You can only make green and red, like in the green environmental movement and the RED label products.

They have supported Greenpeace several times. Contributed a song to a compilation they did and placed them in their liner notes(I think)... Did the nuclear waste stunt in the 90's...

But yeah they haven't really gone out on the limb like other artists... Probably pretty smart on their part. We all know that any artist who stands for something will get put under a microscope, it's best not to put yourself under several at a time.

Thanks! The Greenpeace contributions (and overall support over the years) is indeed one example. Although, I haven't seen anything recent. And as others mentioned, the carbon offsets do mean a little (as I wrote, touring is NOT green by any means).

However, I do think this is one area where U2 don't really have to promote. That is, just try to be earth-friendly (like with the carbon offsets) is enough. They don't have to throw their support behind it. With AI, RED, DATA, etc., etc., U2 have already supported enough (and received criticism for all ).

 

[Jamila]

This is actually one area where U2 could probably do better in the way that they use electrical energy in their concert tours.

Even Bono mentioned in an interview with Al Gore last year that U2 does carry a pretty big carbon footprint.


Maybe with the emphasis on green technology & solar energy, there will be more environmentally friendly ways to put on concert tours but right now U2 concerts DO eat up a lot of electricity.


Personally, I think the band are all ecologically conscious and, as stated before, they do support Greenpeace, the Chernobyl Children's project and occasionally, animal rights causes so I think that they're sensitive to the issue.



Good question.

 

[waynetravis]

Aren't they purchasing Carbon Offsets for this tour? I'm sure I read that someplace

 

[Jamila]

If they are, waynetravis, that would be EXCELLENT news!

Now if someone could just find the article that states that and post the link here, that would be much appreciated.



MySpace.com - Mulago Positive Women's Network - 49 - Female - AUSTIN, Texas - www.myspace.com/mulago

 

[corianderstem]

Jamila, I believe it's in here:

Inside U2's Plans to Rock Stadiums Around the Globe : Rolling Stone

 

[Jamila]

Thanks for that link, corianderstem, that is good news to know about the carbon offsets because that soundstage is going to be a massive thing to truck around the world.


Good for U2 - maybe all that time that Bono spent with Al Gore last year made a difference.



Mulago Positive Women’s Network

 

[coolian2]

No! No!

You can only make green and red, like in the green environmental movement and the RED label products.

it's spelt (RED)

 

[last unicorn]

Have you heard of the disco where electricity is generated on a special dancefloor out of the energy people create while dancing? Now that would be an idea for U2's next tour. Create electricity out of Larry's drumkit. And Bono has to move around more, bounce and dance. Then they could generate their own electricity and it would be very eco friendly.

 

[JoRu]

Just look at last unicorn's avatar, that's one hell of a green Bono.

 

[last unicorn]

^

Except for the shades.

Come on Bono, green shades from now on, ditch the red and blue ones.