Milky Change A band's systemic change towards a better future.

The energy sector is the largest contributor to global green house gas emissions and amounted to a whopping 35% of total human caused GHG in 2010 (IPCC). How the live music and touring industry play their part in this is topic of todays article.

How much power does it take?

The energy requirements of putting on a live show go far beyond the stage or the duration of the event itself. Looking back at a recent post, we saw that a big chunk of our CO2 footprint is due to energy consumption. This can be roughly split into power used by the venue and what is needed to power the show itself, keeping in mind that the two are closely connected. 

Powering the house itself needs high amounts of energy. That includes electricity (and often gas) for heating, lighting, ventilation, sound systems and powering electrical appliances like fridges to cool drinks and so on. 
For the show itself, energy is used for the stage setup including amplifiers, lighting equipment, rigs, instruments etc. 

Keep in mind tho, that a live show doesn’t just set itself up out of nowhere, but takes many working hours before and afterwards to make it happen. This has to be included in the overall calculation of total energy consumption. 

Switching it up a little.

Multiple options exist to reduce energy supply GHG emissions, like improving the efficiency of technology, but first and foremost switching to renewable energy sources. 

Using all this energy to set up a live show doesn’t only come with the price of high carbon emissions but also high bills at the end of the year. So there’s even more than just an environmental benefit of switching to green power. 
As I mentioned before, you also play a huge part in bringing about the change we need for a sustainable future. So considering switching your energy provider to power your house through renewable energy sources is an easy and quick way to make a big difference. 

“And as more people demand clean power, the more infrastructure gets built and the lower the price goes so others can participate.” Earthday.org

Thank you for listening...

For the time being, this is the last volume of our Sustainability on Tour miniseries. Though we didn’t get to cover all the subjects we wanted to, we hope to pick it up again as soon as we can go back on tour safely - we can’t wait to see you all again!