Welcome to the start of the 2016 summer concert series! You’re at the campsite or hotel, your home base, if you will. Before you leave for the venue, you need to make sure you grab your sunscreen, snacks, an adult beverage to-go, and probably a sweatshirt for later – even though it’s 101 degrees at the moment. The walk is dusty and long, but you don’t actually care because you are about to see your favorite artist, ever. In the back of your mind you think, “The walk would be a lot better though, with a delicious sip of water.” Too bad you didn’t bring a refillable water bottle with you to help reduce concert waste.
Pairing up to reduce concert waste
Luckily not all heroes wear capes, and Nalgene with REVERB is here to save the day. Nalgene and REVERB have partnered together to set up eco-villages at concerts around the nation, encouraging people to use and reuse their water bottles to help reduce concert waste.
How it works:
- Find the eco-village tent.
- Purchase a water bottle at a donation price.
- Fill up said amazing water bottle with delicious plastic free water.
- Be a badass eco-warrior.
About Nalgene
Nalgene is a water bottle company that has been around since 1970. They started out as a chemical lab tool company, making things like pipettes and filters. In the 1970’s the company president’s son started using Nalgene products on his Boy Scout trips, and the rest is history. Thanks to this perfect coincidence, Nalgene now makes eco-friendly BPA-free water bottles for us all to use.
About Reverb
REVERB is a non-profit that was founded in 2004 by a husband and wife team looking to make the music industry a little greener and help reduce concert waste. REVERB works with people, rather than against them, when it comes to going green. “Many people doing some things will have more impact than a few people doing everything.” If you’re an artist looking to “greenify” your life, REVERB can help on so many levels. I looked over their website and some of the services they provide are farm to table food options, biodiesel for the buses, waste and recycling, water stations/refill stations, and carbon offset options.
Rock and Refill
Nalgene and REVERB have come together to impact your concert going experience. Together they saw an exorbitant amount of waste that needed culling – STAT. They have been working together for three years now, and have definitely impacted the amount of plastic waste at outdoor music venues. For the 2016 concert season they have created a hashtag campaign to #RockNRefill. When you make your donation at the eco-village you are encouraged to showcase your green abilities and super powers with your new Nalgene bottle.
I’m definitely going to #RockNRefill all summer, even outside the concert grounds.
Together REVERB and Nalgene plan to raise at least $500,000 for environmental and social causes, even with each water bottle being sold at a donation price. They also are estimating all those Nalgene water bottles being reused will eliminate over 500,000 plastic water bottles from being purchased and thrown away – in whatever fashion, whether it be recycling, trash can, or carelessly thrown to the ground.
All of this data was collected from their campaign last year, and they are hoping to exceed those numbers this year, especially with the #RockNRefill campaign.
Do drink the water
Not only does REVERB care about plastic water bottles, they want to change how artists go on tour. They offer services to make your tour green, and The Dave Matthews Band has gone green for the past 12 years. Together they promote sustainability both on the road, and with their fans. According to Nalgene, The Dave Matthews Band has already raised over $60,000 and there are still weeks to go!
The Dave Matthews Band aren’t the only people leasing their celebrity for a good cause. Willie Nelson will also have some eco-villages at his concerts, as well as Maroon 5, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Dead & Company, among others. I am so in love with the fact that so many famous people want to make this world a greener place. Celebrities have so much pull with the public and using that to send a positive message is such a rewarding way to take advantage of that power.
Ants marching
I know so many people who refuse to “go green” or accept there is even an eco-crisis going on because it’s emasculating or weird. The more celebrities and people in the public eye that come forward and express that there is a problem and this is how we, as a group, are going to make a difference, the faster this world is going to be a more sustainable and livable environment. Anyone involved in this campaign, even just a little bit, deserves more recognition than they’re getting.
Let’s take a minute and reimagine that walk over to the concert venue where you may or may not see your favorite artist shake their groove thang. Its dusty, it’s over 100 degrees, it smells like sunscreen, and you’re carrying your ice cold water inside your new, limited edition, Nalgene water bottle. No exaggeration. Everyone around you is jealous that you’re sipping from a water bottle with fresh condensation on it. You’re saving the planet while beating the heat and the dust. The walk is more of a “get your head in the game”, walking away from an explosion in slow motion, kind of moment – rather than a thirst quenching sweat drop. Nalgene and REVERB to the rescue.
Two step
If you want to learn more about REVERB, please visit their website at reverb.org. If you want to learn more about Nalgene, please visit their website at Nalgene.com. Most importantly if you have already visited an eco-village, or want to participate in general, check out the hashtag campaign at #RockNRefill on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Now that is sweet, sweet music!