Before their Music of the Spheres World Tour, the band Coldplay wanted to reduce the carbon footprint 50% from their last tour. The band made that promise in March at the beginning of the tour. Though as of June 2nd the tour has eliminated 47% CO2e emission by planting five million trees. This is roughly around the number of seven million tickets that have been bought for the tour alone. The band told Billboard, “when we first announced the Music of the Spheres Tour, we hoped to make it as environmentally beneficial as possible and reduce our carbon emissions.” This included show production, freight, band and crew travel. The stats were validated by professor John E. Fernandez from the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative. Even though the numbers are something to be proud of, the band still has a lot of work to do.
In the second year of the tour, the band mentioned to Billboard, “we’ve started to run the entire show from an electric battery system that allows us to use 100% renewable energy as efficiently as possible. We also have been using electric vehicles and alternative fuels wherever we can, as well as reducing waste like plastic usage.” Though it is not just the band members who are taking initiative. It is the crew who has done most of the behind the scenes work. They have powered the stage using exercise bikes, and kinetic energy dancefloors. The fans also received some praise, especially those who have walked, biked or used public transportation to the concerts. They also bring their own refillable water bottles and return their LED wristband after the concert is over.
As MIT is fully endorsing this endeavor they are proud of what the band has done so far. According to Professor John Fernandez in Billboard, the band has taken an “important and substantive step toward a new era of eventually achieving carbon neutral music events by major artists.” As the stats achieved are many, they go to show what hard work and encouragement can do. Especially in the world of any type of caring for the environment.
