CO2penhagen: Music goes carbon-neutral

So when Al Gore held Live Earth, everybody bitched and moaned about the carbon footprint of all those bands flying to the venues, all that heavy gear getting trucked around, all the electricity needed to power up the stadiums. And it's true - while messing around on an acoustic guitar in your bedroom has no environmental impact, giant shows have, well, giant impact.

As Gore pointed out at the time, sometimes you have to get your message out there, and look at the potential long-term benefits. But in Denmark, a small nation of big rock festivals, some people have hatched a better plan to get out the music and the message, all while living up to their eco-friendly manifesto: CO2penhagen, billed as the world's first carbon-neutral festival, is set to take the stage in August 2009. So far, only 5 bands have signed on, and none I've ever heard of; here's hoping some bigger names will join up once word gets out.

Meanwhile, back in the States, rising gas prices have driven the indie music scene to greener pastures: Some indie bands, unable to afford gas for their tours, have switched from gas-guzzling Aerostar vans to converted vegetable-oil-burning vehicles.