Ecopalooza

Rise Against at Lollapalooza 2009. Image by Matt Taplinger from Lollapalooza.

Music festivals are one of the best things about the summer. In cities like New York and Chicago, where being outside for longer than an hour in the middle of winter is painful, being able to go to a multiple-day outdoors anything is a great treat. It's even better when there are hundreds of musical talent playing back to back all day and into the night. 

A Lollapalooza map.

Recognizing the scale and potential impact of this event, Lollapalooza has made a conscious effort to make it as green as ever! Like Coachella, the organizers of Lolla have put in place several programs to make the festival a more eco-friendly experience. They're encouraging concert goers to bring their own reusable bottles (like Sigg, Nalgene, Kleen Kanteen's) and refill them at free water stations throughout the park. If you have to buy some, they've partnered up with water sponsor h2O, which sells water in paper packaging that you can flatten and recycle after. They've brought back and expanded Green Street, where attendees can get fresh locally-grown produce and goods from businesses in the area. There are Rock & Recycle Centers where anyone can pick up a bag to fill up with empty plastic bottles and get a festival tee or even a bike in return. 

We'll be live tweeting all weekend and reporting next week when we get back. Stay tuned!

--- Viv