Live-entertainment giant AEG Presents has announced the formation of Climate Positive Touring, a team of music industry professionals dedicated to moving the live business towards a greener future. Climate Positive Touring (CPT) is comprised of people who work across various business divisions at AEG Presents: Concerts West, Global Touring, International Touring, Marshall Arts, Messina Touring Group, and Global Partnerships.
According to the announcement, CPT is focused on reducing tour-related carbon emissions to net zero or better, supporting locally led environmental and climate justice programs and creating impact on both the operations side of touring, as well as the experience itself. Artists, fans, crews, and employees are encouraged to actively participate in the dialogue about the many benefits of climate awareness, responsibility, and collective action.
“AEG Presents has the ability and structure to really make a global impact in moving our entire business – which has had a traditionally significant carbon footprint – toward a zero emissions future,” said Jay Marciano, Chairman and CEO, AEG Presents and COO, Office of the Chairman, AEG. “The company’s reach enables us to execute at every level of the live experience: from clubs and theatres to arenas, global tours, and festivals. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Climate Positive Touring group begins to implement their plans as the business starts to reopen this year.”
Added CPT’s co-head, Amy Morrison: “With light at the end of the tunnel, we feel it’s the right time to announce CPT and our short- and long-term strategies. We’ve been working on this since the earliest days of the shutdown. Now that live music is coming back, we can put our goals into action. As promoters, we will literally put our message on the road, modelling achievable sustainability, with the power of music in our sails.”
CPT has created and deployed two major initiatives. Their Venue Environmental Survey is a resource to gather reliable data that allow venues, artists and CPT to work together to identify sustainability priorities and solutions. The CPT Green Touring Guide is being developed to lead through example and innovation, and to provide guidance and insights promoters can utilize in the hopes of showing both venues and artists a path forward to net zero or better carbon emissions. The first installment of the Guide, named “The Starting Seven.” is a compendium of seven actions promoters can take to start to make a positive environmental impact.
The AEG Presents CPT team is a cross representation of the live events business that includes team members from production, marketing, and operations. Collectively, they possess a deep institutional knowledge of every aspect of the live events business, and bring with them a global perspective and reach that touch all parts of the touring ecosystem: from reusable cups and utensils at bars and concessions all the way up to large-scale stage production, transportation and arena infrastructure.
Co-headed by Amy Morrison and Nicole Neal, Climate Positive Touring is: Jon Baden, Amy Buck, Caroline Burruss, Kelly DiStefano, Kate Lewis, Mike Luba, Ben Martin, Alexandra McArthur, Kate McMahon, David Rappaport, and Connie Shao, and works in collaboration with AEG 1Earth, AEG’s corporate sustainability program.
