Kickstart OurHeart: The Greenest Appleseed Collective

posted in: Features • Rock

To many people, the green movement was a short-lived fad and, eventually, a flop. Fortunately, there are still those committed to the cause including bands like Pearl Jam, The Roots and Green Day. Of course, most bands don’t have that much money sitting around, or really any money sitting around for that matter, so we think it’s important to support the ones with green ideals. The Appleseed Collective, for example, is an Americana/jazz/gypsy band formed just six months ago with startling potential. They’ve already amassed a respectable fan base and want to tour the continent”but how can such travel be environmentally friendly? If only they had a bus that ran on waste vegetable oil… Well with your help they just may be able to buy one by June 18th. Admittedly, Americana/jazz/gypsy is pretty specific and hard to imagine, so check out this video to get a taste of what they sound like:

The band has already met with a specialist and received an estimate on the van. They’ll need about $7,000-$10,000 total for the van and conversion, so they’ve set their Kickstarter goal at $8,000 with plans to cover the difference if need be. Basically, the van will run on diesel for about thirty minutes until the engine heats up and then will switch over to vegetable oil. They’ll be able to reuse waste oil and save a ton of fossil fuels. It might sound like a minor effort since it’s just one van on the road among millions, but they’ll be touring from coast to coast and maybe even to Canada to Mexico. That’s a lot of driving! Plus if you donate over $500 they’ll book a show in your town and drive out there to play for you. They’re also giving out hand-drawn portraits in return for $200 donations.

These guys are talented, full of hope and conscientious about the environment. We think it’s admirable that, despite not being able to afford a van, they’re still going out of their way to respect our planet. We wish there were more people out there with the same mentality. If you think they deserve break, make a donation here on Kickstarter.