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Coldplay's eco-friendly concert to be powered by people

Words by Smiley Team

When Coldplay stopped touring due to environmental concerns, they went away and spent two years consulting experts on how to make their trips abroad as sustainable as possible. Now they’re back with a plan to lower their emissions to 50% of what they produced on their last global trip in 2016 and 2017. 

To achieve this, they'll run their shows entirely on renewable power, part of which will come from the energy produced by dancers via a kinetic floor.

“So when the dancers move and the frontman says we need you to jump up and down, we literally really need them to jump up and down - because if you don't then the lights go out,” lead singer Chris Martin said in an interview with the BBC.

Additional power will come from kinetic bikes that onlookers can ride in order to help power the concert, as well as solar panels and waste cooking oil. 

[Discover more positive news stories about initiatives to combat climate change]

To lower their carbon footprint in other areas, they’ve opted for low carbon transport and sustainable merchandise. The wristbands are made from compostable, plant-based materials, they’ve completely avoided all single-use plastic, and water bottles sold on-site are refillable.

Chris explained they would have liked to achieve zero emissions, but when it came to travel they encountered difficulties in doing so. “Not enough is possible, such as how to get people to a venue without consuming any power,” he said, “or flying, for which there is still a lot of offsetting we have to do.”

In an attempt to make up partly for the flights they’ll take, the band will plant a tree for every ticket sold and 10% of proceeds from the tour will go towards a fund supporting environmental and socially conscious initiatives. 

When the tour is over, climate change experts at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute will assess the overall environmental impact of their tour.

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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