Pearl Jam plants trees to offset carbon

In an effort to mitigate the 5,400 metric tons of carbon emitted during its ongoing world tour, Pearl Jam is going to plant trees.

A lot of trees.

According to a column in yesterday’s Seattle Times, the band that got its start in the Pacific Northwest is partnering with the Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC) and will donate $210,000 to plant 33 acres of native trees and plants in four Puget Sound communities.

“We’re going to store carbon where it should be,” said Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard to the Seattle Times. “In our urban forests.”

Some statistics provided in the carbon outline the realities of the musical concert business:

The band’s 14 trucks, six buses and other shipments rack up some 1,600 metric tons of emissions.

The band and crew travel 899,525 passenger miles, creating another 1,182 metric tons of carbon.

Hotel rooms add up to 3,183 nights for band and crew, and cost 114 metric tons of carbon.

The 32 venues use 484,800 kilowatt hours of electricity, or 187 metric tons of carbon.

And then there are the fans, who are responsible for 2,339 metric tons, generated by car trips to and from the shows.

Also from Gossard: “Microsoft should offset their carbons,” he said. “They benefit a great deal from Washington state, bring people here from all over the world, and is a perfect company to begin to look at its carbon footprint.”

–Toshio Suzuki