At the request of Adam Gardner, lead singer of the band Guster, Dartmouth's Big Green Bus will join the band on some of its summer tour dates.
Elliot May '06 e-mailed Guster, which performed at Dartmouth last Friday, after reading about the band's Campus Consciousness Tour. This tour aims to educate college students about eco-friendly lifestyles.
Gardner responded enthusiastically to May's e-mail, thanking him for "reaching out," expressing excitement about the bus' involvement with Friday's show and inviting the Big Green Bus to come to some of Guster's summer tour dates.
"The fact that they'd read my e-mail and they'd be so open to us coming and being at their tour spots this summer [is a real testament to their character]...They very much could have not replied to me at all," May said.
Touring with Guster will give the Big Green Bus exposure to over 5,000 fans.
"Having something as conspicuous as an enormous green school bus and a bunch of Dartmouth students that are excited to talk about alternative fuels adds depth to our tour...It would be awesome to have something there that's a little more interesting than someone handing out some information [about the environment]," Gardner said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Before the concert, the Big Green Bus was parked outside of the entrance at Leede Arena while members played guitar and drew attention to the project.
"Overall Dartmouth was the most involved campus-wide with the Campus Consciousness Tour," Gardner said. "What was unique about Dartmouth was that the Student Activities Board ... grabbed the bull by the horns and started getting other groups on campus involved. Dartmouth will actually serve as the template for other Campus Consciousness Tours." While at Dartmouth, Gardner also made time to travel on the Big Green Bus to the Dartmouth Organic Farm.
"Members of Guster seemed to be very interested in finding out what the Farm meant to the students," said Dunya Onen '07, who is conducting her independent study project at the Farm. "They were really impressed by the unique educational experience and resources that the Farm offers to students."
"It was great," Gardner said of his first trip to an organic farm. "I'm by all means not an expert at all, and I've learned a bunch on this tour. Really I'm just an interested person and want to do my share on limiting the impact of my footprint on this planet."
Guster travels on buses that run on bio-diesel fuel. According to Gardner, the band reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 14,000 pounds during the Campus Consciousness Tour.
While Dartmouth was the last stop on the official Campus Consciousness Tour, Guster hopes to continue to push environmental awareness at future concerts during their summer tour and turn the Campus Consciousness Tour into an annual event, even if Guster is not performing, Gardner said.
For the Big Green Bus, attendance at some of Guster's concerts is only part of the itinerary planned for the summer.
"Our primary goal is to educate, and by going out there and creating awareness, we're showing that a small group of college students with a little bit of organization and a drive can go out there and make a difference. And we're doing it by pursuing the all-American road trip," May said.
