Rock ‘n’ Roll Excess Hits New Low

Having released an album at least every other year for the past decade, Minneapolis musician Craig Minowa is dedicated to his art. But the Cloud Cult lead singer is also dedicated to the environment. The band’s albums are packed with recycled materials and its albums are sold in previously used compact disc cases.

“We clean them with water and vinegar, case by case,” Minowa says in an interview with Grist, an environmental news source. “It feels like penance, in a way, for the bad things we’ve done in our lives to the planet.”

In recent years, more musicians like Minowa have incorporated their environmental values into their work. Such mainstream acts like Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews Band, for instance, are well known for their environmental advocacy. But the trend of making greener music isn’t restricted to just artists.

Earthology Records, Minowa’s nonprofit record label and CD replication service, uses sustainable production methods in every aspect of its operations. The label offers musicians an eco-friendly alternative to conventional CD replication services by producing CDs that have case inserts made from 100 percent recycled paper and nontoxic soy ink and are encased in recycled plastic jewel cases. Even the shrink wrap is eco-friendly, because it’s made from biodegradable corn cellulose. In addition to CD replication, Earthology Records offers musicians the option to record in an environmentally friendly studio, which is built from recycled plastic and lumber and uses wind-powered electricity.

While Earthology has been serving as an environmentalism pioneer in the music industry for more than a decade, major labels have been adopting sustainable practices at a much slower pace. This might be because environmentally friendly methods of production cost more than conventional methods. According to Minowa, Earthology Records loses about 70 percent of bands that contact them based on cost. Two of the top four major labels, EMI and Warner Music Group, recently began working with the Natural Resources Defense Council on a series of greening initiatives, including utilizing more hybrid vehicles for transportation, cutting CO2 emissions and using more post-consumer recycled content for commercial releases.

Universal Music Group, another top label, has collaborated with a packaging company called PaperFoam to develop CD packaging that is 100 percent biodegradable and recyclable. The packaging is meant to be an alternative to standard CD jewel cases, which are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a toxic plastic that is difficult to recycle. Universal isn’t alone in the fight against PVC.

With the advent of digital music, many thought CD packaging and other music-related waste would be drastically reduced. In reality, digital music produces waste as well. MP3 players contain environmentally harmful materials including various heavy metals and chemicals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium. When the device’s battery dies, many consumers toss it. In an effort to prevent its iPods from piling up in landfills, Apple now offers a recycling program for its popular MP3 player, even offering customers a 10 percent discount on a new iPod for turning in their old one.

While the music industry becomes an environmental entity, it still has a long way to go, and consumers must be accountable for their own actions, said Minowa in an interview with the Sustainable Style Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization.

“Every single person has power in shifting the movement… but you’re also going to inspire people around you to change, too, and they’ll inspire others and that’s when the movement really starts rolling,” he said. a

Jon Wiesner