Quick: what’s less collectible than vinyl, less fun than an 8-track, and less durable than a cassette? If you guessed the CD, you win.
Compact discs and DVDs are piling up in landfills at a speedy rate. By contrast, digital music produces no waste materials–not even your Municipal Waste MP3s will result in any extra debris for someone to stumble over years from now. Perhaps you are already so organized as to have digitized your music collection–but what did you do with the jewel cases?
DVD and CDs can be recycled; discs containing personal information can be shredded, then sent off for recycling.
Freerecycling.com is one of the few companies in the US that recycles CDs and DVDs–a CD/DVD recycling container can be ordered from them and put to use right away.
We already know that companies that manufacture or sell CDs are intensely interested in recouping funds from digital sales, but we could all benefit if they focused a fraction of their efforts on properly recycling CD jewel cases and CDs.
It’s shocking to learn that Target, the lovable big-box retailer, served SF-based independent messenger bag company
Timbuk2 a cease-and-desist order for its ingenious use of recycling plastic shopping bags. Why? Because the Target bulls-eye logo would sometimes be visible on some of the finished bags.
Timbuk2 reported, “We recently received a cease and desist from our good friends at Target. Timbuk2 has been asked that we ‘cease use of TBI’s Bullseye Design mark on your Lamitron bags.’ We are now going through the ridiculous process of identifying and removing any Lamitron bag that contains the Target logo. We’ll keep you posted when we finally get through all this.”
How is it that the bag itself serves to advertise the store, but the same bag reused and recycled into something permanent is copyright infringement? Shame on you, Target.
Timbuk2 has stopped producing the Lamitron messenger bags. The questions remains: why are individuals always told to reduce their carbon footprint, while manufacturers and huge retailers sue companies that find innovative, inexpensive ways to reduce and reuse recyclable materials?
Though many high profile bands have openly used alternatives to fossil fuels for their stadium tours, Radiohead is the first to ask fans to consider their transportation methods, and offer incentives to fans who try to reduce their carbon footprints.
Radiohead is one of the first high profile bands to commission a study from Best Foot Forward to definitively determine what the greater pollutants of touring might be. Best Foot Forward analyzed transportation methods both Radiohead and their fans for their stadium and theater tours in 2003 and 2006 (view a copy of the report here).
So, what is the biggest kick to the earth when it comes to stadium shows–those giant buses? The price of beer? Radiohead weren’t afraid to ask. Sadly, fans, it’s you. The 36 page report shows that fans’ travel to and from the shows accounted for the greatest proportion of the CO2 generated during each tour.
Following the report’s recommendations, Radiohead are encouraging fans to consider public transport where available, or to carpool. They don’t want you to stay home…just to think and consider reducing CO2 emissions where possible. Some of the venues have also helped by offering incentives to fans coming by public transport or in a car filled with fellow fans.
After the next Radiohead tour, the band will invite ticket holders to submit information on their methods of travel so further research can be done on carbon emissions and methods to reduce them–the ultimate in nerdy fan fun. Radiohead’s production team also plans to post news updates on how the band is trying to reduce their own carbon emissions on tour without losing any of the sound and fury that stadium shows typically demand.
Radiohead’s upcoming North American tour is sold out in many cities. For more info and ticket availability, check
www.radiohead.com/tourdates.
May 5th - Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL
May 6th - Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL
May 8th - Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA (Sold Out)
May 9th - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC (Sold Out)
May 11th - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge, Bristow, VA Sold Out(Sold Out)
May 14th - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, St Louis, MO
May 17th - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston, TX (Sold Out)
May 18th - Superpages.com Center, Dallas, TX Sold Out
August 1st - Lollapalooza Festival, Chicago, IL
August 3rd - Verizon Wireless Music Center, Indianapolis, IN
August 4th - Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, OH
August 6th - Parc Jean Drapeau, Montreal, Quebec
August 8th - All Points West Festival Liberty State Park, New York
August 9th - All Points West Festival Liberty State Park, New York
August 12th - Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden NJ
August 13th - Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA
August 15th - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, Ontario (Sold Out)
August 19th - Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver, BC (Sold Out)
August 20th - White River Amphitheatre, Auburn, WA (Sold Out)
August 22nd - Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA
August 24th - Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California (Sold Out)
August 25th - Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California (Sold Out)
August 27th - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
August 28th - Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA (Sold Out)