How green is your fave rock band?

I never was big on huge arena rock concerts, but I happily glommed onto some tix last week from friends who FORGOT they had extra Police seats. As if! Who bailed, guys?

We were sitting in the Meadowlands football stadium in New Jersey taking in the music when I got to wondering about all the electricity it takes to power the on-stage equipment, not to mention the lights and enormous video screens that have become requisite for a “live” concert experience. (Or, for that matter, the gas fueling the idling-car gridlock situation we sat in when the concert was over later that evening.)

Wasn’t surprised to hear that someone is, indeed, making a business out of providing an alternative for eco-conscious musicians.

Neal Turley’s Sustainable Waves operation out of Austin, Texas, has created a turnkey stage that is run off solar power. Through the “Eco-Tunes” program (an initiative on which Sustainable Waves is partnered with Green Mountain Energy Company) it offers bands and other entertainers tour services such as event carbon management, eco-friendly merchandise and so on.

The companies are also teaming up on an experimental program called Be Green Tickets. When you buy a ticket using Be Green, you are issued a Green-e certified renewable energy certificate to offset 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide (or roughly the equivalent of not driving a car about 1,500 in one year).

Don’t want to download Sustainable Waves’ images for fear of piracy ramifications, but here’s a gallery that shows the kinds of stages they put together.

Among the events with which they are affiliated include The Vans Warped Tour 2006 and 2007 (which also uses biodiesel to power the nine big-rigs and 17 buses that schlep everything and everyone around), the Virgin Festival 2007, the ESPN X-Games and the San Diego Film Festival.