Project History and Collaborations : VANS Warped Tour
The VANS Warped Tour is the longest-running touring festival in North America. It has cemented its place in history by playing a major role in bringing punk-rock, skate, and action sports culture from the underground to the forefront of American youth culture. And with over 100 Bands and 600,000 Fans, it presents an incredible opportunity to change the world. EarthEcho International has been working with the VANS Warped Tour to engage Bands and Fans in greening action during shows over the past 2 years. In 2008, our efforts led to the recycling of more than 20 tons of plastics that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.
In October 2008 the most eco-friendly band on Tour won an eco adventure with EarthEcho International to St. Croix, VI. The 2008 winning band was Alesana who printed eco-friendly shirts and donated the proceeds to EarthEcho International, engaged their fans everyday in collecting plastic bottles to be recycled, and held competitions for their fans to win autographs if they helped out the Warped Eco Initiative tent with their efforts.
The St. Croix Eco Adventure was an enriching leadership development opportunity for contest winners to personally witness the issues that many marine ecosystems face today, including overfishing, industrial waste runoff, coral bleaching, conservation, and the importance of enforcement and protection in Marine Protected Areas. St. Croix is a small island and an excellent location at which to demonstrate the impacts of individual actions on the environment. Participants left the experience with information and resources to become powerful agents for change in their own communities.