On the latest episode of the Scientista Podcast, we sat down with Lauren Sullivan, co-founder of REVERB, to talk about a reality the music industry can’t ignore: extreme weather is already disrupting tours. One band told REVERB they’ve found that about 1.5 shows per tour are typically canceled because of extreme weather events—a data point that’s both startling and strangely familiar in a world of grounded flights, hurricanes, wildfires, and smoke-choked skies.
Lauren’s path to the intersection of music and climate wasn’t linear. She grew up in rural Maine with an early connection to the natural world, then met her husband and REVERB co-director Adam (a musician) at Tufts. After graduate work in environmental education and time at Rainforest Action Network, she found herself asking a question that will resonate with anyone trying to move change beyond the “environmental bubble”: How do we reach people who aren’t already nodding along?
The answer arrived through music. Inspired by Bonnie Raitt’s “green highway” touring model—and launched with support from Raitt’s manager, Kathy Kane—REVERB began building what it now calls the REVERB EcoVillage: a community space at shows where fans can connect with nonprofits, take practical actions, and see the values of their favorite artists reflected in real time.
REVERB also works on the footprint of events themselves, including through its Music Decarbonization Project, using solar-powered hybrid battery systems to power stages and helping festivals “right-size” energy needs instead of defaulting to around-the-clock generators.
But one of the most important insights Lauren shared may be the toughest for all of us to hear: REVERB’s concert travel study—drawing on about 35,000 data points with analysis support from researchers at UMass Amherst—found that fan travel can be about 38 times the footprint of artist and crew travel. The next frontier isn’t just what happens onstage. It’s how we get there.
If you love music and care about the planet, Lauren’s invitation is simple: you can volunteer with REVERB and help run EcoVillages on tour—often while seeing a show.
