Thank You for Your Support in 2011
We
want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who became a
new or renewing member of Rock the Earth this past year, bid on an
auction item, dropped a few bucks in a donation jar, or helped spread
the word about our growing organization. It is only through the support
and consideration of generous donors and volunteers like YOU that we
were able to accomplish so much in 2011!
Highlights of Rock the Earth’s 2011 accomplishments:
- Through our Education/Outreach program we were able to activate thousands of music fans to take action to protect Western Australia’s Kimberley from a proposed development that would have impacted this important wilderness habitat in partnership with John Butler.
Similarly, we also activated fans to take action to stop a proposed
powerline that will impact one of the last remaining protected areas in
the Northeastern U.S. around the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational area (where NY, NJ and PA come together) and the Appalachian Trail, an issue suggested to us by Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth).
- Working hand in hand with Friends of the Earth and Reverb
(a nonprofit known for greening concert tours) we put over 250 artists
and promoters on notice that we were going to continue to educate the
public about the deleterious impact that the cruise ship industry
has on the environment, and offered our services to anyone willing to
take affirmative steps to change cruiseline operations to become more
sustainable.
- For over 4 years have stopped
an attempt by the Bush Administration to open up one of the last
remaining wilderness-quality areas in the state of Colorado from
wholesale leasing for natural gas drilling (Colorado’s Roan Plateau). This case is in Federal District Court and should be decided soon.
- Educated tens of thousands of music fans across the United States at over 135 concert dates in 30 states about these and other pressing environmental issues, reaching approximately 1 million music fans and artists.
- Provided environmental education & outreach this summer on tours with the Ray LaMontagne, Journey, Foreigner & Night Ranger, My Morning Jacket, Umphrey’s McGee, and John Butler Trio.
- Participated at 8 high-profile music festivals, including: Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Summer Camp, High Sierra, and All Good, among others.
- Greater use of Social Media for education and advocacy efforts throughout the year.
- Now have over 50,000 people in
our database (most of whom receive our monthly e-newsletter) and nearly
5,000 Facebook Friends and Twitter followers.
- Raised over $90,000 in 2011, the majority of which came through individual memberships and donations.
- Organized and trained over 100 volunteers nationwide, who contributed over 10,000 hours of donated time.
- Expanded our volunteer teams
in New York, Denver and Washington, DC, with rebuilding efforts expected
in Chicago and Atlanta ready to launch in 2012.
- Continued educational activities at major festivals through the development of Rock the Earth’s Green Screens and Social Change Through Music panels and artist discussions.
- Rock the Earth Mobile Phone
Drive informed concert-goers across the nation about the negative impact
of not recycling, and engaged them in participating in a mobile phone
recycling initiative. Cell phone collection achievement: over 5,000
out-of-use cell phones collected via festival, tour, and educational
institution initiatives.
- Received financial support from a variety of charitable and for-profit sources that included: Patagonia, eMusic, Pace Butler, Heffernan Foundation, Bonnaroo Music Festival/Superfly Presents/AC Entertainment, Mountain Jam, All Good Music Festival, Gould Family Foundation, Wear Your Music, and Waterwheel Foundation/Phish.
- Also received invaluable product and service donations this year from: Railroad Earth, Frontgate Ticketing, Gibson Guitar, Nugs.Net, SCI Fidelity, New Belgium Brewery, Dogwood Cellars, Whole Foods, Summer Camp, Wakarusa, FloydFest, Electric Forest, High Sierra Music Festival, DelFest, Gathering of the Vibes, LiveNation/Music Today, Fox Theatre (Boulder), The Fillmore at Irving Plaza (NY), Best Buy Times Square Theatre (NY), Ogden Theatre (Denver),and Bluebird Theatre (Denver).
Incredibly, Rock the Earth accomplished all of this with only two
hard-working paid employees. Our sincere thanks to our supporters, our
Volunteer Staff, our Advisory Board and our nation-wide team of
volunteers for your many contributions in making 2011 a very successful
year despite the financial challenges we faced. Look for the full Annual
Report on our website in March.
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Rockin’ the National Park Service’s Roseland to Susquehanna Power Line Plans
Since
2010, at the suggestion of Railroad Earth, Rock the Earth has been in a
battle to protect an amazingly scenic area of the United States where
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania come together, separated by rare
highlands, majestic mountains and the beautiful Delaware River Valley. As we previously reported in the May 2011 edition of Rock the Earth Notes,
Rock the Earth is engaged in efforts to stop a proposed project by
Pennsylvania Power and Light Electric Utilities Corp. and Public Service
Electric and Gas Company to replace an existing 230-kilovolt
transmission line with a double circuit line, constituting both a 230kV
line capable of carrying 500kVs and a new 500kV line. These new 200-foot
high powerlines would cut through three scenic and federally-protected
areas utilized by millions of people every year: the Delaware Water Gap
National Recreation Area, Middle Delaware National Scenic and
Recreational River, and Appalachian National Scenic Trail in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
On November 21, 2011, the National
Park Service (NPS) released its long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) analyzing six “alternatives” in order to determine
whether to grant construction and right-of-way permits for the new
powerlines. The DEIS evaluates potential environmental impacts
implementing the six different alternatives. Significantly, one of the
alternatives is the “no-action” alternative, which NPS acknowledges is
the “environmentally preferred alternative.”
NPS has scheduled three public
hearings: January 24 and 25, 2012 in Bushkill and Stroudsburg, PA,
respectively, and January 26, 2012 in Lafayette, NJ. Public comments to the DEIS may be submitted to NPS no later than January 31, 2012. The DEIS, as well as information as to the public hearings and how to submit comments, may be found at the NPS website by going HERE.
Rock the Earth has been
coordinating its efforts with other environmental groups that are
preparing formal comments to the NPS DEIS for submission by January 31.
As an example of previous comments on this project, the following are
links to prior letters to NPS, as filed by various environmental groups,
including Rock the Earth: http://www.rocktheearth.org/files/Scoping3-10FINAL.pdfhttp://www.rocktheearth.org/files/EELC3-10FINAL.pdf
This project is also being
challenged in two different New Jersey tribunals. As we last reported,
in June 2010, the Eastern Environmental Law Center (EELC) filed a
lawsuit appealing the NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU) decision
approving the 45-mile NJ section of the powerline, and in February 2011,
Earthjustice joined EELC in filing a Motion with the BPU to reopen its
proceedings and reconsider its approval of the powerlines. Both the
court lawsuit and the Motion before the BPU are pending. For additional
information, here is a link to Earthjustice’s most recent press release on these cases.
Rock the Earth believes that this
powerline project raises very serious environmental issues, including
obvious damage to natural resources and Visitor Experience. In addition,
the proposed project will undermine a Maine-to-Maryland regional
greenhouse gas initiative to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy
efficiency and renewable energy development, since the powerlines will
carry electricity generated by outdated, highly polluting coal-fired
power plants in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Moreover, the
purported need for the project – namely, to prevent brownouts and
blackouts previously predicted to occur in 2012 – has been called into
question, since the regional grid operator has since lowered its “load
forecast” significantly. As a result, Rock the Earth will continue to
coordinate its efforts with other environmental stakeholders in opposing
this unnecessary and environmentally destructive project.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Between now and January 31,
you can submit comments to the National Park Service opposing the
Roseland to Susquehanna Power Line by entering your comments HERE. Some suggested points to include in your comments:
- The NPS should adopt the “No Action” Alternative which is also recognized to be the environmentally-preferred alternative.
- A powerline passing through
these three federally-protected areas will create significant damage to
natural resources and the Visitor Experience to enjoy nature, scenic
vistas, and natural soundscapes.
- Proposed plans to
significantly expand the powerline corridor are contrary to National
Park Service Mandates for the Park Units.
- The proposed project will
undermine a Maine-to-Maryland regional greenhouse gas initiative to
reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency and renewable
energy development, since the powerlines will carry electricity
generated by outdated, highly polluting coal-fired power plants in
Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
- The necessity of the project
is questionable since more recent studies have significantly lowered
“load forecasts” for energy usage in the region.
For more information about this project, go to the Rock the Earth Roseland to Susquehanna Powerline Project Page.
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Radio Radio
Wanna know how Rock the Earth  Defended the Planet One Beat at a Time in 2011 or what we have in store for 2012? Check out this January interview with Rock the Earth Executive Director Marc Ross on Sustainable You at 107.7 FM The Bronc (Rider University radio).
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Railroad Earth Rocks the Earth in Denver
It was a momentous occasion. New Jersey’s, Americana rockers Railroad Earth
were making a triumphant New Year’s Eve run for the second year in a
row in Denver, and with a couple of the shows sold out, added an
intimate fundraiser to benefit Rock the Earth. With an assortment of
beer donated by New Belgium Brewing Company, wine from Dogwood Cellars and food from Whole Foods,
the sold-out crowd of 100 attendees raised a generous $9,000 for Rock
the Earth’s National Education and Outreach Campaign in just under 2
hours!! 
We’d like to thank everyone who
purchased a ticket (especially those who also bid on auction items); the
band and crew (Todd, Tim, Carey, John, Andy, Andrew, Mike, Joel, JonO,
Stacey and Phil); band manager Brian Ross; Doug from Dogwood Cellars;
Keller, Shawn and Matt from New Belgium; John Caprio, Errin Kava and Don
Strasburg from AEG Live and the Ogden Theater; auction donors SCI
Merchandise, David B. Smith Gallery, Furthur Frames and Ben Graessle;
and our volunteers Barbara Ross, Brian Lavin, Kim and Austin Jetton,
Amanda Brown, and Derly Maldonado; photographer Brad Hodge.
For a review of the show and more photos go HERE.
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Help us Rock 2012
So with the new year comes new
opportunities to help us Rock the Earth in 2012. We’re looking for a few
folks with some time on their hands and a passion for the environment
to help us Defend the Planet. We’re seeking a National Volunteer Coordinator,
ideally based in Denver (or NYC, Chicago, or the Washington, DC or
Baltimore area) who can help us coordinate interns and volunteers
throughout the U.S. We’re also seeking Regional Outreach Interns
in Denver, Chicago, NYC, DC/Baltimore, San Francisco and Atlanta to
volunteer their time educating and activating concert crowds. Lastly,
we’re seeking a Social Media intern who can help us increase our Facebook and Twitter presence. All positions are unpaid, volunteer positions,
but you get to be part of the leadership of our growing movement of
environmentally conscious music fans. For more information, write to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
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New Cell Phone? Recycle your old phones with Rock the Earth
Each year Americans throw out over 3 million tons of electronics, in turn sending tons of toxic materials to
landfills. Cell phones contain lead, nickel, mercury, cadmium, arsenic
and zinc, which are known carcinogens – many are linked to birth
defects. When sent to landfills, these substances threaten precious
drinking water supplies. In fact, there are over one billion out-of-use
cell phones in the U.S. alone, but less than 10% ever get recycled. The rest are sitting in junk drawers, toy boxes, or end up in our landfills or other environmentally unsound destinations.
Please join with 12-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys and Katie Perry in spreading the word about Rock the Earth’s online Mobile Phone Recycling Campaign online at www.rtephonedrive.com.
Tell all of your friends and family that they can now recycle their
phones from the comfort of their own home. With free shipping, it is a
quick and simple way to recycle your old phones while supporting Rock
the Earth’s goal to recycle 25,000 unwanted cell phones this year! It’s
an ambitious goal, and we need everyone’s help. As a bonus, each person
who recycles a phone via www.rtephonedrive.com
will receive 20% off a future LiveNation merchandise purchase. All
recyclers will receive a coupon redeemable on the online store’s
extensive catalog of music-related merchandise, AND each week we will
award one lucky participant with a free LiveDownload Card redeemable for
one digital download of a complete live concert soundboard recording of
their choice, from a list of participating artists that include: Phish,
the Dead, Dave Matthews, String Cheese Incident, Counting Crows,
Widespread Panic, Smashing Pumpkins, Black Crowes, and many more!
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Who's Your Planet Defender?
Since 2006, Rock the Earth has
presented an annual Planet Defender award to inspirational defenders in
three categories, awarded to those who uphold the ideals that Rock the
Earth believes in. In 2011, RtE recognized Pearl Jam in the "Musician" category, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Waterkeeper Alliance) in the "Community Leader" category, and Josh Fox (fracking activist and director of Gasland)
in the "Grassroots Activist" category. These winners were chosen from
among dozens of nominations made by Rock the Earth members and friends.
We are once again asking for nominations of those individuals who embody
Rock the Earth's mission of “Defending the Planet One Beat at a Time”.
Keep an eye out for those folks who you feel are helping to protect our
planet's most precious places, and nominate them for the prestigious
Planet Defender Award. Send your nominations by March 15 to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2012.
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Last Chance for Holiday Membership Discounts
Over the last two months, Rock the Earth has bundled some of our more popular thank you gifts into cost-saving packages. This next month is your last chance to receive these gifts at a reduced donation level. In particular, our limited edition posters
by noted concert poster artists Justin Hampton, Jeff Wood, Jim Pollock
and Gary Houston will be available as gifts with all new and renewing
members at the $50 level, or as a part of our holiday
packages for only a short time before returning to their normal
membership level of $100 – so please make your tax-deductible donation to Rock the Earth now!
As a bonus, if you join or renew
your membership within the next month, we will throw in TWO (2) LiveDownload.com cards,
redeemable for any concert recording in their extensive catalog that
includes Phish, the Dead, String Cheese, Disco Biscuits, Widespread
Panic and many more! So what are you waiting for? Start the year off by Rocking the Earth!
What Rocks Your Earth: Ian Goldberg
Ian Goldberg is the founder of Summer Camp Music Festival, and is also owner of The Canopy Club and is Vice President at Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment.
Ian has been in the music business much of his life as a part of the
family business first started by his father Jay Goldberg. He has
supported live music for years through promotion, production and
management, and also has a passion and soft spot for animals, the
environment and social activism.
1. What environmental issue(s) do you consider to be the most critical at this time? The
easy answer of course is global climate change as that seems to be the
culmination of many of our destructive practices. But to be more
specific, I think figuring out clean and renewable energy resources and
forcing their use is the most important key to combating global climate
change.
2. What has inspired you to combine environmental activism with music? Truthfully,
environmental activism was the reason I got into the music business. I
was lucky that my father had worked in the business before me. When I
finished school and was looking at how I could be productive, it seemed
the best avenue to be able to earn a living and also have an impact.
Certainly, the first Lollapalooza tour was an inspiration for me to see
my favorite artists combining activism with a truly great music
experience.
3. Where is your favorite place in nature to go to find solace or inspiration? While
I haven't made it back, I had a very inspiring experience camping and
paddling in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota at a time when I
really needed it. I’m looking to get back there soon!
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