Obviously New Noise will be jam-packed with grooves, but thanks to the folks from LoaTree-a Gaviota-based collective of Earth-conscious artists, visionaries, and environmental ass-kickers-the three-day event is also going to be green. Brought on board in the final stages of planning, the organizers of New Noise hired LoaTree-an eco-leaning organization that “provides business, marketing, and managerial services for our artists and organizations”-to try and make the music-minded festivities tread a little lighter on Mother Earth, and hopefully teach participants a thing or two in the process. “Basically, we have had 30 days to reduce the carbon footprint of the event and raise the environmental awareness of the participants,” explained LoaTree’s Dave Fortson, before adding, “And I think we’ve done that about as well as we could, given such short notice.”

Besides putting together a “green” section for the event’s Web site (newnoisesb.com), which helps attendees find area eateries that serve organic, locally grown grub, get around Santa Barbara easily and effortlessly without using an automobile, and calculate their carbon footprints generated by their travel to the conference, LoaTree has also organized “eco-villages” that will be set up outside of big-ticket events like the Michael Franti & Spearhead show and the Jack Johnson En Concert film premiere and offer heaps of enviro info. They’ve also made thoughtful tweaks to smaller-seeming aspects, such as ensuring water is served at panels in glass bottles versus the dreaded plastic.

LoaTree has helped facilitate two panel discussions dedicated directly to the intersection of environmentalism and popular music. The first, on Friday morning, is a discussion of how to put on a green concert (titled Promoting and Producing More Sustainable Events); and the second, on Saturday afternoon, is called The Green Musician, about how an everyday artiste can tighten up his/her act to the betterment of nature. “As long as music has been around, it has been associated with progressive change and trying to improve the human condition,” opined Fortson. “You have to inspire people to make the change [to more Earth-friendly ways], and what better way to do that than through music.”

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