While concerts are thrilling and entertaining for both audiences and performers, few people consider the toll they take on the environment. However, alternative artist Ms. Billie Eilish combines her passion for environmental justice with her successful music career to combat this issue. Her goal is to go beyond personal change and create a bigger impact in the music industry. Throughout Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, she took action and remained conscious of the environmental footprint her shows would leave, according to veganfoodandliving.com.
Ms. Eilish has always been an advocate for the environment, according to vegnews.com. One way she shows advocacy is through veganism. She became a vegan at 12 years old when she heard about the cruelty and negative impacts of the meat and dairy industries. In particular, the meat industry takes a significant toll on the Earth, as breeding, raising, and slaughtering animals generate significant amounts of waste, according to plantbasednews.org In the United States (US) alone, consumption of animal products generates about 16 tons of carbon emissions every year. Yet, producing plant-based meat releases 90 percent less greenhouse gases than producing animal meat, according to thehumaneleague.org. On tour, all of Ms. Eilish’s venues go 100 percent vegan, meaning that all concessions that the venues offer are completely vegan, according to vegnews.com. For example, at her concert in Manchester at Co-op Live Arena this summer, the plant-based menu resulted in 47 percent less food-related carbon emissions than the average concert at Co-op Live Arena, according to plantbasednews.org.
Moreover, Ms. Eilish strives to make her tour as eco-friendly as possible through using recycled cotton and polyester to make her merchandise. She also partners with Google Maps to help fans attending her concert find the most sustainable route to the venue, such as walking, bicycling, or taking public transportation, according to store.billieeilish.com. Sophomore Ruby Boeding attended Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, October 26 at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York. Ruby commented on Ms. Eilish’s unique advocacy to promote climate justice.
“While attending Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, I noticed a lot of sustainability efforts that Billie Eilish made, ” Ruby said. “The water bottles were all refillable and there was no disposable plastic in the venue. I also noticed that the confetti that came out at the end was all made out of recycled paper. She has a very different outlook on the concert experience than most other artists. I wouldn’t have even thought about how much a concert can impact the Earth. The concert was still as amazing as it would’ve been if the food wasn’t vegan or the paper wasn’t recycled. It didn’t have any impact on the experience but it will have a positive impact on the planet.”
Ms. Eilish also promotes her climate justice efforts by encouraging her fans to become part of the solution. Ms. Eilish provides accessible opportunities to her fans to contribute to her mission. She organizes vegan food drives at all of her concert venues through Support and Feed, her mother’s, Mrs. Maggie Baird’s, organization. Support and Feed works to combat climate change while providing vegan food for those in need, according to supportandfeed.org. Prior to every show, Ms. Eilish plays a video about the Support and Feed Pledge, which encourages people to eat one plant-based meal a day for 30 days. Ruby spoke about this message and the food drive.
“There were collection boxes around the venue for everyone to drop their donations in,” Ruby said. “I think this is such a thoughtful way to incorporate her fans into her efforts. Before she came onstage, she had a video playing that introduced her climate pledge, which is taking 30 days and eating one vegan meal each day. She emphasized the impact [that] switching even one meal to vegan could have on the Earth. It was a very inspiring message that fit her tour very well and showed her proactivity and her effort to not just do this herself but to bring her fans into her cause.”
At every stop on Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, Eco-Action Village is organized by REVERB, an organization that works to reduce the negative impacts of the music industry on the planet. The Eco-Action Village connects fans to local nonprofits that also work to better the environment, according to store.billieeilish.com. In addition to the large-scale measures she implements into her shows, she also guarantees sustainability in minor ways, including incorporating enhanced recycling and putting a no idling policy into place for trucks at venues, according to variety.com. Ms. Eilish’s dedication to environmental justice sets her apart from other artists. Her efforts display that she goes beyond her music to influence others for the good of the environment. Ruby reflected on Ms. Eilish’s platform.
“She’s very selfless in her acts,” Ruby said. “Her concert isn’t just about her and her revenue, but using her fame in a positive way. The fact that she is putting her passion for the Earth ahead of her own benefit is really inspiring.”
Featured Image by Eleanor Kelleher ‘28
