Dave Matthews Band will partner with The Nature Conservancy and others to offset the carbon dioxide emitted from the band's 21 trucks and buses, plane trips, 67 concert venues, and hotel stays during its 2002 tours. The project is part of a larger campaign called One Sweet Whirled, which aims to mitigate emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

The Nature Conservancy and Dave Matthews Band
In April 2003, Dave Matthews Band will sponsor the planting of 900 trees on three acres of The Nature Conservancy's Forks of the Rivanna Tract near the band's hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. The new trees will absorb carbon dioxide from the air and "erase" almost 14% of the tours' total emissions.

Read the press release.

This creek feeds into the North Fork of the Rivanna River © Mary Porter

The Nature Conservancy chose Forks of the Rivanna because it lies at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Rivanna River, so its health impacts nearby watersheds and wetlands. When the preserve was purchased in 2001 many of its 155 acres had been cleared of trees for agricultural purposes. The Nature Conservancy is reforesting the property with native hardwoods to reduce carbon dioxide, provide habitats for animals, and decrease nutrient and sedimentation runoff in area waters.

To offset the remaining tour emissions, Dave Matthews Band will support construction of wind turbines owned and operated by Native Americans on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Wind turbines generate electricity without producing carbon dioxide emissions, unlike the traditional method of burning fossil fuels.

A small meadow on the Forks of the Rivanna property © Mary Porter

Dave Matthews Band © Big Hassle

Climate Change Facts

• In the 20th century, the world’s average surface temperature rose by approximately .6°C (1°F) – a rate greater than in any period over the last 1,000 years.
• In the past 30 years, ice coverage in the Arctic has shrunk by 7 percent and ice thickness has declined by more than 3 feet, threatening the habitats of seals, polar bears and native people.
• Combustion of fossil fuels and destruction of the world’s forests are the two main sources of concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Trees and plants store carbon in their tissues, and, as they grow, remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the air, storing it as additional carbon as part of the process of photosynthesis.
• At present, deforestation accounts for one-quarter of annual carbon dioxide emissions. Protection and restoration of forests could offset up to 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 50 years.

Sources: IPCC and CDIAC

The Nature Conservancy and Climate Change
The Conservancy, through its Global Climate Change Initiative, is identifying and implementing strategies that will help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while searching for ways to make natural areas more adaptable to climate change. The Conservancy estimates that, over the next 40 years, its protection and restoration of 1.7 million acres of largely forested land will provide a climate benefit equal to keeping 8 million cars off the road for one year.

Partners in One Sweet Whirled Campaign

• Ben & Jerry's
• Climate Neutral Network
• Dave Matthews Band
• MusicMatters®
• NativeEnergy
• A href="http://saveourenvironment.org/" target="_blank">SaveOurEnvironment.org