Guster: 'It's cool to be green'

One theme that has always run through rock music is freedom. Freedom of expression, freedom of thought and freedom to do whatever the hell you want.

But what would happen to freedom if every gig you played, every CD you sold and every track listing you printed on a CD cover had to be meticulously thought out so that it is carbon neutral, biodegradable and 100 per cent eco friendly?

Boston-based band Guster is on a mission to find out. Not content with just preaching about green issues, they have decided to put their money where their mouth is and lead their fans by example.

And fans are one thing they are not short of. They played to 100,000 people when they headlined a festival in Boston and MTV describes them as one of the most successful bands to hit the East Coast of America in recent years.

But the indie rock four-piece also manages to be arguably the greenest band in the world. They are deadly serious about everything from the first strum of a new melody to their sell-out tours being fastidiously environmentally friendly.

They believe the future is eco-rock. Their crusade leaves nothing to chance. When they arrive at the next tour date it will be on their bio-diesel tour bus. Inside you will find biodegradable tableware made from corn and potatoes and fans are invited onboard to see for themselves.

Naturally there are recycling facilities on the bus and at the venue, and the vehicles are cleaned using non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning products. The equipment will be rigged up to rechargeable batteries and in between songs they'll be swigging from aluminium reusable water bottles. Backstage are biodegradable cups and utensils.

Meanwhile the concerts have been made carbon neutral - offsetting global warming emissions with wind power by buying energy credits from Native American renewable energy company NativeEnergy.

"As we learned more about the viable options we had to reduce our footprint, we got excited to try these options such as using bio-diesel in our tour bus and truck, eco-friendly merchandise, supporting renewable energy, using biodegradable cups, bowls, plates, and utensils, and reducing our plastic waste," singer and guitarist Adam Gardner tells me.

The band urges fans to take public transport and to turn up to their gigs early to pick up litter around the venue. If they really must travel by car, fans are advised to buy carbon credits to offset their journey to the concert.

Guster's entire catalogue, including the new album, is completely carbon neutral. Liner notes are even printed in soy ink on sustainable paper. But while other musicians are only just coming round to green issues, Guster sees environmental awareness and rock and roll as one and the same. "It's cool to be green, it's definitely smart to be green and I'm glad to be making it more cool and hip," explains 34-year-old Gardner.

"If you want to fuck the system, then run your car off cooking oil instead of buying it from a gas station. That is screwing the system - that is cool. We are in a unique position where we are in front of tens of thousands of people and we can spread the awareness."

The idea of green-rock is starting to spread.As if eco-fuel isn't enough, bands such as Britain's Gomez are reportedly making changes like reducing the idling time of their bio-diesel tour bus. The hugely successful Barenaked Ladies from Canada have also metamorphosed into a green band. Like Guster, they are also pained to see a used guitar string go to waste and, instead, recycle them into jewellery with a percentage of the proceeds going towards offsetting carbon emissions.

They also offset the energy used at each of their shows with wind power. Gardener doesn't want to stop at making Guster as green as possible, he wants to help other bands achieve eco-nirvana. Along with his wife, the environmentalist, Lauren Sullivan, he has founded a non-profit organisation called Reverb that helps musicians such as Sheryl Crow, Coldplay, Jack Johnson, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others make their tours greener.

Reverb is a non-profit organisation that seeks to raise awareness and support for the environment through building upon the powerful connection between musicians and their fans. Through Reverb's Fan Offset Program, Barenaked Ladies Fans alone neutralised 8.5 million miles of driving in past six months.

In the past year, through bio-diesel in the busses and carbon neutral concerts, Guster has reduced or neutralised over 2,100 tons of CO2, the same as not driving 4.2 million miles. But for these bands, whose main audiences generally spend their spare time getting drunk and getting laid, is this hardcore eco message not falling on deaf ears?

According to music culture expert, Dr Harvey G Cohen of King's College London, part of being young and cool is having one eye on climate change. "Of course being green is cool," he says. "It's sexy, especially with the young people who have to inherit the Earth."

As a result green issues are becoming essential in PR and make sense economically. "People have to be educated with what is happening in the world," Cohen adds. "Artists are leaders and they think about the world and want a roll in saving it. Guster are walking the walk and talking the talk. I think they are sincere but it has other advantages too. The smarter groups don't want to be part of the world's problems."

Guster has become a highly successful pop/rock band that comprises mainly of two guitars and a bongo, although they have brought in a number of other instruments. They are Gardner; Ryan Millar, 34, on guitar and vocals; drummer Brian Rosenworcel; and bassist (and multi instrumentalist) Joe Pisapia, 38.

They have toured with Bob Dylan and their music oozes vintage harmonies and sunny melodies that echo the free-spirited sound of the Sixties and Seventies. It's 38-year-old Rosenworcel's trademark to play the drums predominantly with his hands until they blister and bleed. It is not unknown for him to place them in a bucket of ice water after a particularly vigorous session. Like most rock bands, the group likes to party and have plenty of tales of past excess. Adam scoffs when I ask him if his idea of relaxing is sipping on a fairtrade smoothie.

"We do sometimes drink a non-organic beer when we are feeling particularly crazy," he laughs.

It seems that going green never sounded so good. Guster's latest album, Ganging up on the Sun, went to number 25 in the US Billboard 200 album chart. No mean feat for a bunch of guys who met at college studying religion and psychology.

"Green is the new black in rock," says Dr CP Lee, author of Shake, Rattle & Rain - Popular Music in Manchester. "The times they are a changing. We only need to look at this year's Glastonbury which was themed around awareness of green issues to see how much effort is being put into the eco-debate and changing public consciousness."

Even though certain parts of the American establishment are dragging their heels on the subject of climate change in the US, Guster has got the jump on the rest of the world when it comes to green rock.

The band is now looking to bring their message to Britain and the response is extremely positive - they've just played a sold-out tour of the UK. Guster have definitely done their research when it comes to making themselves known this side of the Atlantic. "Having a green side only enhances the rock and roll," says Rosenworcel.

"If the Gallaghers would go carbon neutral maybe they wouldn't look like a couple of twits on stage. Isn't that what we're supposed to do here in England? Try our best to provoke Oasis into a pissing match?"