When fans pack into large stadiums to see their favorite artists, the focus is on the music, lights and spectacle, but not the environmental repercussions. Concerts have a large carbon footprint due to the energy used to power the stage and the plastic waste left behind. Artists such as Coldplay and Billie Eilish have led the charge to make live music more sustainable.
Coldplay’s current tour pledges to cut its CO2 emissions by over 50%. The band partners with DHL, a logistics and package delivery company, to minimize transportation impacts. Together, Coldplay and DHL cut greenhouse gas waste by using electric vehicles and advanced biofuels for air travel, according to their tour website. However, their most creative solutions come from inside the stadium, where kinetic floors that generate electricity from fans’ dancing and stationary bikes that let audience members actively help power the following show.
Joseph Villa ’27 said he appreciates the creative and interactive solutions the band offers.
“[Their alternatives are] really cool, as someone who loved dancing myself, the idea of dance floors that capture energy is honestly amazing,” Villa said. “That idea could be heavily expanded upon and implemented in other concerts and types of events. As a Mexican, we dance so much at parties. The idea of a dance floor that captures energy is amazing as we always put so much energy into our dancing, and it’s amazing to see that it’ll help too.”
Meanwhile, Billie Eilish focuses her sustainability efforts on planning and fan behavior. An audience’s commute makes up over 70% of a concert’s carbon footprint, according to her promotional site. Eilish partnered with Google Maps to encourage fans to walk, bike or take public transport on the way to and from her performances. . Those who drive are shown the most fuel-efficient routes. Beyond travel, she’s eliminated single-use plastic items on tour, swapped plastic straws for paper ones and ensured all merchandise is made from recycled or organic materials.
Hudson Phillips ’27 said she believes artists participating in climate efforts are taking steps in the right direction, but the audience plays a part as well.
“ It is nice when artists use their platform to speak about important issues such as climate change, although is not inherently their responsibility any more than it is any of our responsibility,” Phillips said. “If an artist can do something like sourcing merchandise from climate-conscious companies, they should, but I do not think that we should get mad at artists for not prioritizing the environment when the vast majority of us do not. The amount of waste produced in the U.S. annually staggers, and artists are a small part of that picture.”
Finn Slootweg ’26 said that a climate-friendly concert venue would be an incentive to attend.
“I would definitely be more motivated to attend an artist’s concert if they prioritized sustainability because I want to support people who are taking actions against climate change, ” Slootweg ’26 said. “I also think that supporting sustainability initiatives while doing something I really love just gives me more of a reason to spend the money to go to a concert.”
