An ex-surfer who now lives in Hawaii and writes acoustic jams perfect for a beachside campfire. If anyone has perfected mellow, it's singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. Despite his laid-back vibe, Johnson is a fierce advocate for the planet. True to his chilled-out form, he prefers to let his actions do the preaching.
Let's take a look:
Touring: Over the past few years, Johnson has embarked on a pair of world tours, supporting his albums Sleep Through the Static (2008) and To the Sea (2010). The tours have roamed across North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
For an environmentalist, those air miles are seen in huge clouds of carbon emissions. To offset, Johnson has taken the very committed leap to giving 100 per cent of the proceeds to environmental and sustainabilty-related non-profit organizations.
Here's a brief look at the numbers: In 2008, the Sleep Through the Static tour, consisting of 50 shows in 11 countries, saw $900,000 donated to 184 international environmental non-profit agencies. In addition, Johnson put a strong focus on making the tour as green as possible. His tour transportation was powered by close to 53,000 litres of sustainable biodiesel, 65 tons of on-site waste was recycled and 1,400 metric tons of carbon was offset.
Two years later, the singer was back on the road for his To the Sea Tour, again, with 50 shows internationally. Again, over 800,000 fans came to the shows, and each stop saw Johnson partnering with local non-profits (220 groups in total). Johnson's website reports $525,000 was donated directly to these groups via the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation (a San Francisco-based endowment fund run by the singer's wife, Kim), while an additional $700,000 was raised by the non-for-profits through Johnson's matching donation program. Johnson and his tour organizers facilitated another low-impact tour, upping the green effort with 420 tons of waste recycled and composted, close to 98,000 litres of sustainable biodiesel used and partnering with U.S.-based car sharing service Zimride, which led to more than 160,000 carpool kilometres for fans attending his shows worldwide.
All At Once: Attend a Jack Johnson show, and you will discover plenty of eco-friendly organizations in an area called The Village Green. Johnson's tour report highlights that 600,000 people connected with these organizations on the 2010 tour, and almost 4,000 concert attendees signed up to volunteer with organizations such as Ocean Conservancy, 1% for the Planet, Surfrider and more. Still, it's easy to forget what you learn in the summer, so Johnson started a community site called All At Once for those wishing to remain engaged. Here, fans sign up and engage with sustainability programs and non-profits in their area. In addition to information, the site also provides exclusive material by the songwriter for those willing to share the cause.
Kokua Hawai'i Foundation: Touring aside, Johnson's dedication may be most obviously displayed on his home turf. The Kokua Hawai'i Foundation is the Johnson's own non-profit organization, based in Haleiwa. The foundation keeps the focus local, trying to spread the message of sustainability to Hawaii's schools and community groups. When I interviewed Johnson a couple of years ago, I asked him about his local work.
"We try to focus on stewardship," he said. "Contributing to a kid growing up to be a steward of the island, or the world they live on. Supporting environmental education in the schools…. We try to suport local farmers, to have a place to put their locally grown food. About 80 per cent of our food gets shipped into Hawaii, so it’s pretty backwards. We’re not going to be able to solve it real quick – we’re just one piece of the puzzle working towards trying to get a more sustainable Hawaii."
The music: Each summer Kokua Foundation puts on its major fundraiser, the Kokua Festival in Honolulu. The annual event is hosted and curated by Johnson, and he invites several of his pals to take part. Past guests have included a who's-who of musical eco-advocates, including Eddie Vedder, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper and Ziggy Marley. The festival's proceeds all benefit the foundation, and like all of Johnson's tour stops, the fundraiser puts an emphasis on being eco-responsible and shines a light on local environmental non-profits and activities. The festival is taking a break this year, but Johnson's label, Brushfire Records, has put together a compilation of the top performances from the history of the festival. The Best of Kokua Festival (Brushfire/Universal) is out this week.
Here's the complete track listing: "Better Together," Jack Johnson feat. Paula Fuga; "Cry Cry Cry," Ziggy Marley feat. Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga; "A Pirate Looks at Forty," Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds; "Mudfootball," Jack Johnson feat. Ozomatli and G. Love; "Constellations," Jack Johnson feat. Eddie Vedder and Kawika Kahiapo; "Take it Easy," Jackson Browne feat. Jack Johnson and John Cruz; "Island Style," Jackson Browne feat. Jack Johnson and John Cruz; "Breakdown," Jack Johnson feat. Jake Shimabukuro; "Further on Down the Road," Taj Mahal feat. Jack Johnson; "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian; "Jr. Gong," Ziggy Marley feat. Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga; "High Tide or Low Tide," Ben Harper feat. Jack Johnson; "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," Willie Nelson feat. Ben Harper and Jack Johnson; and "I Shall be Released," Eddie Vedder, Jack Johnson and Zach Gill.
April 21 is Earth Day. Do you support any local environmental organizations in your community?
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Earth Day: Canadian singer-songwriters’ odes to Earth