Saving the Earth, One Band at a Time

Recently, a cool guy at Subpop sent me a package of new releases. Among them was a beautifully packaged CD by Kelley Stoltz. It sounded great, too, but I was completely smitten with the presentation. When I told the good folks at Subpop that I intended to one day rip their packaging off, they sent me the press release behind the CD. Here it is, straight from the rocker's mouth (scroll to the end for a selection from the CD!):


SUB POP RECORDING ARTIST, KELLEY STOLTZ,
IS SINGING THE “GREENS”

Created Using 100 Percent Renewable Energy,
New Album is First to Sport the Green-e Certified Label

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 6, 2006)-- The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), together with the Green-e program of the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) announced today that recording artist Kelley Stoltz’s newest album, titled Below the Branches, is the first album to incorporate the Green-e label on its product packaging. The logo explains to consumers that the album was recorded using 100-percent renewable energy. While Stoltz hopes the album will have a positive impact on listeners, he is proud to know that the energy used in its creation had only a minimal impact on the environment.

"I've never been one to write a political song, but I can let people who buy my album know that I care a lot about the environment and possibly influence them to think about what they can do by labeling my album with the Green-e logo,” said Stoltz. “Using renewable energy to offset the electricity I needed to power my guitar amps and my recording machines was a simple and effective way for me to do something about my impact on the environment. Green-e certifies that I am buying 100 percent renewable energy. Hopefully, people will see their logo; check into what they do, and make renewable energy a part of their lives, too."

Green-e is the leading voluntary certification program for green power products in the U.S. Similar in concept to the “organic” label informing consumers that certain types of products meet stringent guidelines as set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), products bearing the Green-e logo and “Made With Renewable Energy” label immediately informs consumers that the product was manufactured using an environmentally friendly source of energy. This labeling concept is applicable to any product or service that meets the Green-e Renewable Energy Certification Program guidelines.

“It’s fair to say that most of us don’t consider the impact we have on future generations in our day-to-day activities. Flipping on a light switch draws electricity from the grid that in all likelihood is generated by a finite, non-renewable source,” added Sarah Krasley, communications and marketing coordinator at CRS. “The same was true for the energy powering Kelley’s microphones, eight track recorder and amplifiers, except that for this project, Kelley tracked his energy use and offset all of it through the purchase of CoolerFuture(tm) Green Tags from BEF. This ensures that every kilowatt-hour of electricity drawn from the grid to power Kelley’s equipment is replaced with an equal amount of non-polluting renewable energy.”


About Green-e and the Center for Resource Solutions
Renewable energy use is the next generation of distinction for consumer products, taking its place alongside other consumer labels such as those for recycled products, organic content, and energy efficiency. The Green-e symbol is administered by the Green-e Renewable Energy Certification Program, a national independent consumer protection group. The symbol signifies that companies are using certified renewable energy resources to power their businesses and offset the electricity needed to manufacture products. Founded in 1997, Green-e is the nation's leading certification symbol for high quality renewable energy. Over 100 providers offer Green-e certified energy and over 115 consumer products feature the logo to certify that "We Buy Green-e Certified Renewable Energy". For more information, please visit: www.green-e.org/PLI.

Green-e is a program of the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), a national nonprofit organization that makes it easier for people and organizations to use renewable energy. CRS designs and operates national and international programs that support the increased supply and use of renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and low-impact hydroelectric power. To learn more about CRS, visit: www.resource-solutions.org.


About BEF
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1998 to restore watershed ecosystems and further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through revenues generated from the sales of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and biomass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 2000 and has helped establish national standards for certification and trading. Created by regional environmental groups and the Bonneville Power Administration, the Foundation operates collaboratively with but independent of both. More information is available on the web at www.b-e-f.org.

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Kelley Stoltz, Memory Collector