Harnessing the Power of Music to End Illegal Logging
Since 2012, REVERB and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) have teamed up to engage musicians, fans, instrument
Members of Maroon 5 and Guster travel deep into the rainforests of Guatemala to experience sustainable, community forestry first hand.
Rainforest Deforestation: Nearly half of all rainforest deforestation is a result of illegal logging, when trees are essentially stolen from national parks or other protected areas. Green house gas emissions from deforestation are about 1.5 times greater than those from all the world’s air, road, rail and shipping traffic combined.
Climate Change: Illegal logging is a leading contributor to climate change and stopping illegal logging is the one of the most affordable means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Human Rights Violations: Illegal logging operations are usually controlled by organized crime, and human rights violations are frequent, such as forced labor, sexual abuse, and violence against indigenous groups and forest-dependent communities.
Job Cuts and Economic Losses: Illegal loggers do not pay for permits, evade taxes, and pay next to nothing for labor, driving down the price for wood. Legitimate businesses cannot compete, leading to job losses in the US forest products industry. Developing countries have lost an estimated $10 billion to illegal logging.
Species Extinction: Illegal logging is destroying the habitat and leading to the hunting of endangered wildlife, threatening the survival of lemurs, tigers, pandas, orangutans, gorillas, elephants, jaguars, and other animals.
The Musician’s Pledge
Musician’s Who Have Signed the Pledge
|Dave Matthews Band||Jack Johnson|
|Willie Nelson||Maroon 5|
|Jason Mraz||My Morning Jacket|
|Linkin Park||David Crosby|
|Lenny Kravitz||Barenaked Ladies|
|Sarah McLachlan||John Kay (Steppenwolf)|
|Bryan Adams||Simon Le Bon|
|Deborah Harry||Brandi Carlile|
|Lily Allen||Sara Bareilles|
|Bonnie Raitt||Brad Corrigan (Dispatch)|
|Guster||Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel)|
|Bob Weir||Of A Revolution (O.A.R.)|
|Ryan Dobrowski & Israel Nebeker (Blind Pilot)||The Cab|
|Pat Simmons (Doobie Brothers)||Jack Antonoff|
|Brett Dennen||Razia Said|
|Lana Del Ray||Jools Holland|
Letter to Instrument Manufacturers
Musicians have been writing letters to manufacturers of the instruments they play asking them where the wood is sourced in their specific instruments and expressing their concern about the potential role instruments can play in illegal logging.
Artist Field Trip
Maroon 5 and Guster joined REVERB and the Environmental Investigation Agency in the rainforests of Guatemala to learn about the good and the bad of logging practices for musical instruments and other wood products. READ TRIP BLOG HERE
Legislative Work – The Lacey Act
In 2008, the United States exercised global leadership to address illegal logging. Passed with bi-partisan support, the US Lacey Act now prohibits the import of wood that was logged illegally. This law has contributed to a 22 percent decline in illegal logging around the world and has saved a billion tons of carbon from being emitted, earning it a silver medal from the United Nations as one of the most important forest conservation laws in the world.
In 2012, REVERB co-founder and Guster frontman Adam Gardner testified to Congress in opposition to proposed bills to weaken the Lacey Act. Coalition partners credit REVERB’s ability to gather major musicians in a singular and powerful voice, convincing Congress to keep the Lacey Act strong:
Engaging the Public
Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, Linkin Park, Michael Franti and Guster urge the public to take action
Since 2013, REVERB has created fan engagement activations reaching tens of thousands at concerts with a number of artists on tour. Beginning with the Barenaked Ladies/Ben Folds Five/Guster “Last Summer on Earth Tour,” REVERB volunteers have distributed and collected Lacey postcards throughout our Eco-Villages. The postcards are signed by fans at each show, collected and then sent to each signatory’s respective representative. Other tours supporting the Lacey postcard activation include Maroon 5 and, currently, Guster’s “Evermotion” tour. Thanks to our artists and volunteers, thousands of fans have been able to help prevent illegal logging by supporting REVERB and the Lacey Act.
Through the Media
Stefan Lessard, bassist of Dave Matthews Band, Op Ed for Richmond Times-Dispatch: http://www.bassfrontiersmag.com/stefan-lessard-of-dave-matthews-band-takes-stance-against-using-illegal-woods-in-instrument-manufacture