SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pearl Jam will perform before nearly half-a-million fans on its tour of Latin America, which kicks off on November 4, 2015 in Santiago, Chile and wraps up on November 28 in Mexico City. A complete list of tour dates are listed here: www.pearljam.com/tour
As they’ve done for over a decade, the band will track their carbon dioxide emissions resulting from their 2015 live performances and offset them through strategic investments in carbon mitigation projects. Their two newest investments are both certified REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation ‘plus’) projects in South America: Conservation International’s Alto Mayo Project in Peru, and Carbonfund.org Foundation’s Valparaiso Amazon Rainforest Project in Brazil.
“I think it’s good to acknowledge the negative impacts our business has on the planet, right alongside the positive ones. We tour. Our tours emit carbon dioxide. We are constantly looking at ways to reduce and mitigate that. Our strategy has been to essentially ‘tax’ ourselves for our CO2-equivalent emissions, and invest that money into carbon mitigation projects. Hopefully this will serve as inspiration for other businesses and governments exploring ways to offset their carbon footprints,” says Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard.
Pearl Jam have been tracking their tour-related carbon emissions since 2003, and to-date have made mitigation investments totaling over $500,000 USD. The band’s full carbon mitigation history is here: http://www.pearljam.com/activism/carbon-mitigation
ASSETs for Life scientist Michael Totten helps the band identify its biggest carbon dioxide culprits on tour. For Pearl Jam, this includes: band and crew air travel, hotels, truck and freight travel, power at venues, and fan transportation to and from the shows.
The Conservation International and Carbonfund.org Foundation projects that Pearl Jam is investing in this year are certified at the highest levels, and structured to help fight the negative impacts of climate change while providing real benefits to the local communities.
Conservation International’s Alto Mayo Protected Forest project in Peru is the world’s first REDD+ project in a protected area. This project is demonstrating to policy makers and investors the tremendous potential of tropical forests to tackle climate change while generating co-benefits and sustaining critical ecosystem services including regulating water, preventing soil erosion and enhancing crop yields through natural pollination and pest control. More on the project can be found at www.conservation.org/alto-mayo.
“Pearl Jam’s ongoing efforts to offset their impact is an important reminder that we can fight climate change at every level,” said Peter Seligmann, CEO of Conservation International (CI). “The band’s generous contribution to CI’s program in Peru’s Alto Mayo Protected Forest will not only help mitigate their carbon footprint but also allow us to bring additional benefits to the people living there and protect the watershed for many more living nearby.”
Conservation International (CI) uses an innovative blend of science, policy and partnerships to protect the nature people rely on for food, fresh water, and livelihoods. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 30 countries on six continents to ensure a healthy, prosperous planet that supports us all.
Carbonfund.org’s Valparaiso Amazon Rainforest Project in Brazil also is a certified REDD+ project and achieved Gold Level Distinction to the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) due to the Project’s exceptional community benefits. The Project undertook a forest carbon inventory, modeled regional deforestation and land-use patterns, and is mitigating deforestation pressures by utilizing payments for the Project’s ecosystem services, along with ongoing monitoring of the climate, community and biodiversity impacts of the Project. More information on the Project can be found here: http://www.climate-standards.org/2013/07/18/the-valparaiso-project/
“We’re thrilled to partner with Pearl Jam in this important environmental initiative to neutralize the impact of the band’s Brazil tour dates this November,” says Eric Carlson, President of Carbonfund.org. “Their ongoing leadership and commitment to ‘walking the walk’ should inspire their fans and other performers to follow Pearl Jam’s lead. Our forest preservation and biodiversity conservation projects in Brazil are so critical to protecting the Amazon Rainforest and helping to fight the negative impacts of climate change.”
The Carbonfund.org Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, leading the fight against climate change, making it easy and affordable for any individual, business or organization to reduce and offset their climate impact and hasten the transition to a low carbon future. Carbonfund.org achieves its goals through climate change education, carbon offsets and reductions, and public outreach.