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After many months of round the clock get out the vote work, and a disappointing loss on election day, progressive activists of all stripes are ready to be re-energized, re-inspired and to start looking at new and viable solutions for the problems facing our world. To advance this effort, musical superstars The Roots, Third Eye Blind, Michelle Shocked, Mickey Hart, Joan Baez and The Coup will lead the charge by participating and performing at The Second Annual We the Planet Music and Activism Festival. The most eco-friendly indoor concert every produced, the festival will set the tone for a new era of solution-oriented, creative and progressive activism.
We the Planet will be held on November 13th at the Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium and will feature a full day of music, workshops, grassroots participation and organic fare. We the Planet will demonstrate that "Consciousness is Cool" by presenting an all-day festival, indoors, without producing any waste or emissions; and by including over 40 local nonprofit groups in an on-site outreach effort.
Organized by legendary treesitter Julia Butterfly Hill and her non-profit organization, Circle of Life, and produced by the Spitfire Agency, the We the Planet Music and Activism Festival has become the model of an environmentally sustainable event by which other festivals are measured. We the Planet is working proof that these types of events can be part of the solution to the environmental crisis facing our planet.
The festival will run primarily on solar power and generators using biodiesel fuel. In addition, all CO2 emissions created by the production of the event will be offset by wind-generated power from NativeEnergy's wind farm on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, making this year's event carbon neutral. Festival organizers are also working closely with the City of Oakland to create a zero-waste event with full recycling and composting programs onsite. The We the Planet festival will also mark the launch of Oakland's citywide initiatives for residential composting and recycling.
The concert will be geared towards keeping activists energized and engaged during the next four years of the Bush era and creating ways to involve new activists in local and national issues. Leading get-out-the-vote organizers will be on hand to share their vision and strategy for the next four years. Local leaders will speak on issues that affect all Bay Area residents—like the failure of California's youth prison system and the building of toxic waste incinerators in poor neighborhoods. The concert will create a tapestry of powerful and positive ways for people to get involved, regardless of who occupies the White House.
In addition to the evening concert, a series of powerful workshops on Pushing the Boundaries for a New World will be offered starting at 2:00 p.m. Key community leaders, singer/songwriter Michelle Shocked, and today's top activists will be on-hand to speak and mediate thought-provoking discussions on the hottest topics facing citizens today. Post-election voting will be fresh on everyone's minds. A workshop on progressive strategies for creating an electoral system that truly represents citizens; building grassroots movements to transform our democracy will be at the top of the agenda. Other workshops will focus on direct action and civil disobedience, independent vs. corporate media, and using music and the arts in effective activist campaigns. In commenting on the importance of participating in the workshops and performing at the festival, Michelle Shocked stated, "Music is a lot like politics - they're both too important to be left to the professionals."
We the Planet organizers set strict environmental and social-responsibility guidelines for event sponsors, and even turned down money from companies that didn't meet these standards. Event sponsor, Living Tree Paper Company, donated tree-free paper for all paper needs including posters, flyers and tickets; Transcendentist, the first green certified dental office in the country, provided free tickets to low income youth in Oakland. Other top sponsors include the green-certified Doubletree Hotel at the Berkeley Marina, Give Something Back Business Products, the City of Oakland and KPFA's Hard Knock Radio.
The festival grounds will also provide exquisite vegan fare made from organic ingredients. Utensils, cups and plates will be manufactured from recycled and/or renewable resources including utensils made of cornstarch and will all be compostable. All leftover food will be donated to a local non-profit organization who will in-turn distribute to community members in need.
Tickets for the event are on-sale at In House Tickets (www.inhousetickets.com ) and are $22 in advance and $30 at the door. Ticket price includes free admission to all daytime activities and workshops.
Workshops are from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to be held at Laney College, right across the street from the Kaiser Center at Lake Merritt BART. Doors for the music extravaganza open at 6:00 p.m., with the first band hitting the stage at 7:00 p.m.
VIP tickets are $100 and include one parking pass, reserved seating and access to the VIP lounge serving organic wine, beer and snacks. Tickets will help support the event and part of the VIP ticket price is tax deductible. VIP tickets are only available through Circle of Life by calling (510) 601-9790 ext. 6 or online at www.wetheplanet.org.
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