Rolling Stones: How Glastonbury Is Leading the Plastic-Free Festival Revolution

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While eliminating single-use plastics from all major festivals would be an environmental coup, there’s significant work that needs to be done at all levels of the live music industry. The Plastic Pollution Coalition has made this a key component of their work, creating guides for plastic-free events that can be used by everyone from stadium acts to indie bands touring out of a van. In recent years, many big name artists, including U2, have pushed reusable cups over single-use plastics, though none have been more devoted to this cause than Jack Johnson.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Johnson has seen firsthand the damage that improperly disposed plastic can do, with debris frequently washing up on the northern and eastern shores of the islands. As a musician, he’s also looked out from the stage after a big show and seen fields littered with plastic. Over the past 10 years, Johnson and his All At Once organization have worked to make his tours as eco-friendly as possible, traveling with vehicles that use biodiesel fuel, testing out bike valets to get people to the show and using green riders that have often spurred venues to make their own changes.