Here in the province of Ontario there’s the Hillside Festival, and it has been the greenest event I’ve ever been to (their website shows that they have tons of energy). Going to a place to hear great music, exchange great ideas, and help the environement while doing it is more fun than it sounds 😉

The idea of running a green concert has caught on and now a company, Sustainable Waves is helping to make sure that the (green) band keeps playing.

But can the green message be at odds with a rock extravaganza? Festival organizers know that outdoor concerts leave a big footprint, and they’ve worked hard to reduce Echo’s impact. Electricity for sound and lights at one of the five stages will be provided by an array of solar panels; generators at other stages will run on bio-diesel fuel.

Even the temporary fencing around some stages and tents will be built out of an Earth-friendly product — in this case fast-growing bamboo harvested by Franklin of the nonprofit enviro group Change of Atmosphere.

A fraction of the price of each ticket will be contributed to a tree-planting project, and, for an extra $4, patrons can buy green tickets that pay for “carbon offsets” elsewhere — an investment in 500 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, such as wind energy.