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Green energy charges festival |
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Thursday, 23 August 2007 |
by LINDSAY TIGAR
Lifestyles Editor
Bright lights spotlight musicians as they perform for a screaming, dancing crowd. They begin the set and the fans go crazy.
This artists are not only entertaining their audience but they’re helping to save the environment.
The 2nd Annual Off the Grid Music Fest features various artists performing on stages run off of green and sustainable energy.
“From a sustainable development standpoint, this is something to be
excited about,” Director for Research in the Sustainable Development
program Kristan M. Cockerill said.
“It’s great when young people or pop culture embrace something that has to do with sustainable development,” Cockerill said.
 Dubconscious headlines the environmently-friendly music festival, Off the Grid. Scroll to the bottom of the page for an interactive map and a list of other bands in the festival.
| | Special to The Appalachian |
Bands like That 1 Guy, Donna Hughes, Savage Aural Hotbed, The Solos
Unit and many more will perform Aug. 31- Sept. 2 at MoonShine Acres in
Butler, Tenn.
Tickets are $30 in advance and $45 at the gate and may be purchased online at www.offthegridmusicfest.com.
In addition to music performances, the three-day festival will include
white water rafting, kayaking, tubing on the Watauga River, organic
vendors, informative tents and Hippy Olympics.
Each stage will use green energy or sustainable energy.
Green energy is when someone creates energy that has no impact or a
lesser impact on the environment compared to obtaining that energy the
traditional way, Cockerill said.
Renewable energy, in contrast, is energy that is received from sources
that are inexhaustible such as wood, waste, wind and solar thermal
energy, according to Natsource, a company that specializes in research
services.
Many students at Appalachian State are fans of renewable energy.
In the 2006-07 academic year, 93 percent of students voted to support
and secure the Renewable Energy Initiative for the next three years.
“I’m for renewable energy because it helps the environment and people
to work together,” senior business education major Amber L. Spencer
said.
Spencer believes that daily efforts to save energy can help the earth.
For example, at her apartment, she plugs all appliances into one power
strip and unplugs it everyday before leaving.
The Off The Grid Music Fest will save energy on a greater scale, but not profoundly.
Dennis M. Scanlin, a technology professor estimates by the number of
stages and the length of the concert that the festival will save about
2,500 energy watts.
“This would be like burning a light bulb for 166 hours,” he said. “[The
festival] is a good thing but it’s not necessarily going to save the
world’s energy problem. It’s more symbolic.”
Spencer and Cockerill are pleased that surrounding areas are encouraging a green lifestyle.
“It’s a neat concept,” Spencer said. “It’s interesting that people have
taken a step toward helping the environment and making people more
aware through music.”| {mgmediabot}images/stories/2007/August/roadtrippin.swf|false(Click HERE for an interactive map from Boone to the Off-the-Grid festival.)|600|600{/mgmediabot} |
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Are SUVs allowed to driven to the concert? Rusty diesel Volvos with 'peace' stickers holding the bumper to the car? VW vans that couldn't pass the most lenient emissions standards? Or is only Prius owners and cars run on ethanol - the magic fuel?
Nice try, but...