Ever wondered about the environmental impact of touring?
Cloud Control's Heidi Lenffer did, and after working with climate scientists over a 15-date tour, discovered that two weeks of touring generated a massive 28 tonnes of carbon emissions; the equivalent to what a household creates in an entire year.
Because of this finding, Lenffer began to design a strategy for touring in the era of climate change. Partnering with the superannuation fund Future Super, she has now launched a company for artists to invest in solar farms with the backing of a number of Australian musicians including Cloud Control, Midnight Oil, Vance Joy, Peking Duk, Jack River and more,
FEAT. (Future Energy Artists) is essentially a solar investment fund for artists that will finance new and existing solar farms around Australia. The fund will have a target return of over 5% per annum, and artists will be able to choose to reinvest their payments back into the fund, or have them paid out. Artists will be able to invest a lump sum or a percentage of their touring income. The first solar farm that FEAT. artists will see built is Brigalow Solar Farm in south-west Queensland
"The fact is that this was just one small tour in an album cycle which also took us to the US three times… then you think about multiplying this out with a 64-billion dollar industry worldwide and you’ve got a serious problem," Lenffer shared.
"Touring is easily the biggest source of income for artists, so when I understood how something as important as live music could be creating so much damage at this critical time in human history, I knew we could do so much better. I also knew that a progressive community like the music industry would have the guts and imagination to embrace change.”
Artists have jumped at the opportunity to get involved with Peter Garrett saying, “At last a project that takes the great passion many artists have for a healthy world powered by renewable energy, and makes it doable. A stunning, much needed initiative.”
For more information about the initiative follow the link here.
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