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 2015! In fact, as you can see below, 2015 was our strongest year to date on a number of fronts.

Highlights of Rock the Earth’s 2015 accomplishments:

– We continued to build off our 2012 federal court victory and our 2014 historic settlement in defense of Colorado’s Roan Plateau, protecting 90% of this remarkable, wilderness-quality area in northwest Colorado for future generations. We also enjoyed a significant victory with the Presidential designation of Browns Canyon National Monument in Chaffee County, Colorado.

– We furthered our work to better regulate fracking; protect wetlands and waterways; close down Indian Point Nuclear plant outside of New York City; and stop the Army’s proposed expansion, without a comprehensive environmental (and environmental justice) evaluation, of Fort Carson’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeastern Colorado.

– We announced a new partnership with The Wilderness Society to expand wilderness in Colorado along the Continental Divide.

– For the tenth consecutive year, Rock the Earth created compelling environmental programming at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, with a series of artist interviews, panel discussions and musical performances on the theme of Social Change Through Music. In addition, for the sixth time in as many years, we hosted Green Screens Presented by Rock the Earth, a series of award-winning environmental films, in Bonnaroo’s Cinema Tent.

– We educated tens of thousands of music fans at a record 241 concert dates throughout the United States in 2015, working with such high-profile artists as Foo Fighters, The Dave Matthews Band, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Beats Antique, and Primus with Dinosaur Jr.

– Rock the Earth’s volunteer legal and technical staff reviewed and/or worked on 10 separate, substantive issues and projects brought to our attention by Rock the Earth supporters in the music community.

– We expanded our wildly successful annual Dine Out for Earth celebrity chef fundraising event in Denver, Colorado, to Palo Alto, California, focusing on the local and sustainable food & beverage movement and featuring celebrity chef (and RtE Advisory Board Member) Charlie Ayers and special guest chefs in both locations.

Additionally, Rock the Earth:

– Participated at nine high-profile music festivals, including: Bonnaroo, Summer Camp, DelFest, Arise, Peach Fest, and All Good, among others.

– Increased use of social media for education and advocacy efforts throughout the year.

– Now has over 58,000 people in our database (most of whom receive our monthly e-newsletter) and nearly 10,000 Facebook friends and Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram followers.

– Raised over $250,000 in 2015, over a third of which came through individual memberships and donations.

– Organized and trained over 150 volunteers nationwide, who contributed over 10,000 hours of donated time.

– Expanded our volunteer teams in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, Baltimore and Denver, and expanded to Los Angeles.

– Received financial support from a variety of charitable and for-profit sources that included: John Denver Aspenglow Fund, Patagonia, Wolcott Family Foundation, F. Allen & Louise K. Turner Foundation, Solar City, TKH Realty (Denver, CO), Ben & Jerry’s (Boulder, CO), Bonnaroo Music Festival/Superfly Presents/AC Entertainment, Summer Camp Music Festival, Calafia Café (Palo Alto, CA), Maki Foundation, MidFirst Bank & Trust (Denver, CO), Grassroots California, Pace Butler, Headcount, Herbs & Arts (Denver, CO), Kulsea Faul (San Mateo, CA), TAG Restaurant (Denver, CO), Wear Your Music, GAP Inc. (New York, NY), and others.

– Received invaluable product and service donations from: Taylor Guitars, Nugs.Net, SONOS, SCI Fidelity, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Summer Camp, Wakarusa, Mountain Jam, FloydFest, Arise, All Good, Forecastle, Electric Forest, Gathering of the Vibes, Alpine Ascents, LiveNation/Music Today, AEG Live, Boulder Theatre (Boulder, CO), The Fillmore at Irving Plaza (New York, NY), Best Buy Times Square Theatre (New York, NY), Ogden Theatre (Denver, CO), and Bluebird Theatre (Denver, CO).

Incredibly, Rock the Earth accomplished all of this with only two hard-working paid employees and three contractual seasonal outreach coordinators. 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 2015 a very successful year. Look for the full Annual Report on our website in March.