Rock ‘n Renew’s watershed restoration program works with students, businesses, engineers, ecologists, and communities to develop programs and projects that provide all the tools for building rain barrels, rain gardens, and other watershed management, ecological restoration, and native plant initiatives.

Some of our projects include:

Native Plant and Rain Garden-

Crossroads School-

Santa Monica, C.a

As part of the Discover Channel’s Alter-Eco program, Jonny Dubowsky built a native plant and rain garden with students of Santa Monica’s Crossroads School.

Arbor Skateboards  donated the skateboards from broken decks.

The Theodore Payne Foundation helped in selecting the native plants best suited to helping in the ecological restoration of the region.

Jonny D from Jonny Lives! on Q101’s The Morning Fix. Jonny talks about the Download Festival work with The NRDC’s Itsyournature.org- Jonny interviewed Modest Mouse, and Guster in Boston. Chicago’s Download featured Snoop Dogg,

Hawai’i!

From blog contributor Jeff Plumblee, college senior from Clemson University:

The Rock ‘n Renew Spring Break in Hawai’i was a great opportunity. It helped me realize
that although it may seem as if one person can do very little towards helping the environment, when a group of passionate people join together, they make significant changes. Though I spent just a week in Honoka’a, I felt like a part of the community. I learned that many kids do care about
the environment and are willing to do their share if only they are taught how. I understood how my future profession—-civil engineering—-could have an impact on the environment, and on this trip, I learned valuable lessons and tools that will help me to be more environmentally-friendly in my work.

Also read what Scotty Batson, Rock ‘n Renew Director of Operations, had to say about his first experience with Rock ‘n Renew’s Alternative Spring Break:

The Alternative Spring Break program was one of the most educational and memorable experiences of my life. Not only did I enjoy learning about native plants, invasive species, and how to protect a natural landscape, I can honestly say that I was put in my place. Before working with Rock ‘n Renew, I never fully understood all the intricate elements that allow us to live and survive on this planet! The most important lesson that I took in was something I have been taught my entire life, but never properly applied until now. That is, no one person can change the world or even make it better, but if everyone takes responsibility for their actions and does their part to conserve, then together will can and WILL make a huge impact in protecting Mother Earth! Now that I am back on the mainland, I have taken all the small things I learned and applied them to my everyday life. I can honestly sleep well at night because I know I am taking care of my responsibilities. Want to join me?

Stay tuned for details on next year’s Alternative Spring Break in Honaka’a, Hawaii with Rock ‘n Renew.

On April 17-19, beloved indie favorite Piebald closed out their 12+ year existence with three final shows at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA and the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. Piebald teamed up with Rock ‘n Renew to make this sold-out final tour a memorable event that reflected the band’s long-time green ethics. As drummer Luke Garro explained, “These events were more than your typical live show. The goal was to create a unique experience that was as entertaining as it was educational.”

The band donated $1 from every ticket sale to Rock ‘n Renew, and the event included an eco-fashion show each night to entertain the fans. This unusual show featured karaoke singers (selected from posted youtube audition tapes) decked out in sustainably-made clothing and shoes from ethical brands Topo Ranch, Autonomie Project, Birdhead, and Macbeth.

Throughout the band’s existence, Piebald executed numerous US tours in a bus that ran on 100% straight vegetable oil (SVO), avoiding petroleum and saving significant money on band transportation costs. These tours were accompanied with an alternative energy education campaign and live demonstrations of the vehicle to encourage fans and other bands to take action. Rock ‘n Renew would like to thank Piebald for their commitment to the environment, their support for Rock ‘n Renew, and for producing great music for over a decade.

With the motto “Green is the New Black,” Rock ‘n Renew stepped in to make the LA Fashion Trade Show in Santa Monica an eco-friendly, sustainable event. Hosted by CLASS, the three-day show brought buyers and press together with 60 of the best brands in the business, including sustainability pioneer Linda Lowdermilk and other environmentally-conscious labels like Topo Ranch, Pure Play, and Re:Volve. All participants were given the option to offset their CO2 with a donation to True Offsets, Rock ‘n Renew’s own carbon offsetting program, with the goal of making the show a carbon-neutral event.

Rock ‘n Renew helped engineer green initiatives into every aspect of the tradeshow, including:

* A green-powered generator to power outdoor tents
* Canvas bags and reusable water containers for each guest
* Healthy, filtered water provided on-site by I love my H2O, eliminating the need for wasteful disposable bottles
* Fresh, organic meals from FOOD+LAB served on biodegradable dishware
* Recycled carpet and reusable signage at the venue
* Recycling of all paper, glass and paper waste
* Hybrid vehicles made available for rental with a special trade show discount
* Fruit smoothies made on-site with bikes powered by 100% renewable, human-powered energy

—and much more.

The show’s eco-initiatives generated a lot of press attention and praise from the fashion community. (Click here for characteristic coverage of the event.) With Rock ‘n Renew’s help, the trade show proved that being good to the environment is also good for business.

On Super Tuesday, Rock ‘n Renew was asked to help make Barack Obama’s California Primary Day Rally a sustainable and successful event. Held at the Avalon Ballroom, across the street from Capitol Records in Hollywood, the event welcomed 1,500 campaign supporters who gathered to watch the results and celebrate their hard work on the campaign. In between addresses from leading California politicians and VIPs, guests viewed election returns, enjoyed music and cocktails, and had their photo taken in a booth specially designed for the event.

Rock ‘n Renew had the opportunity to speak to the large group of press assembled at the event about the importance of environmental initiatives and the need for every political candidate to address the issue of global warming. And, as always, we helped the crowd rock…and renew.

The Power Shift 2007 conference brought together over 5,000 college students from around the country to legislate for change and make environmental issues a priority in Washington. Participants were inspired by a wide array of speakers, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and environmental leaders like Van Jones, Bill McKibben, Judy Bonds, and Billy Parish. Students attended two days of intensive workshops, including a very popular one by Rock ‘n Renew’s own Jonny Dubowsky on “The Power of Art and Music in the Classroom.” The conference ended with a lobby day on Capitol Hill in which students visited their senators and representatives and encouraged Congress to pass important climate legislation. After meeting with hundreds of students and activists at the conference, Rock ‘n Renew went away extremely impressed by the ambitious range of initiatives taking place on college campuses all over the nation.

In the hot sun at the all-day Download Festivals, Rock ‘n Renew encouraged the crowd to help the earth stay cool. Thousands of fans attended the festivals to see musical acts Modest Mouse, the Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snoop Dogg, and others. Teaming up with the NRDC, Rock ‘n Renew handed out 700 canvas bags to concert-goers in Boston and Chicago. (Click here to see video of the bag giveaway and the crowd’s response.) Fans were given paints, stencils and markers and personalized their bags with creative, humorous, and beautiful designs.

We reminded each fan that plastic bags take 12 million barrels of oil to make annually and that 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away in the US each year. We asked them to use their new canvas bag instead: at the convenience store, the supermarket, the book or music shop—anywhere they could avoid putting yet another plastic bag into our already choked system. Rock ‘n Renew founder Jonny Dubowsky also led a Q & A session with Adam Gardner from Guster, continuing our efforts to bring musicans and their fans together to promote environmental awareness.

Rock ‘n Renew encouraged sustainability through art and music as part of the Parrish Art Museum’s unique series, “Three Summer Nights.” At all three events, the Hamptons community came out in force to support Rock ‘n Renew’s use of cultural events in the service of environmental awareness and action. The museum stayed open so guests could visit the exhibits while listening to music and being educated about Rock ‘n Renew’s programs and outreach. The first Summer Night, Project Eco-Vision, saw a host of creative art installations made exclusively of recycled and retrieved materials, meant to foster awareness of the earth’s burden and consideration of the things we throw away. Project Hot Shot followed, with a night of reggae and the debut of a cutting-edge digital photography exhibit, US NOW. The final installment of the series, Project Night Beat, showcased both upcoming and established musical artists, and finished with a performance by Rock ‘n Renew’s own Jonny Lives!

Photos by Shirley Dluginski