Q: So why all this activism all of a sudden? Do you have a crush on Al Gore or something?
A: I've always wanted to do more than just play shows and promote myself on tour; music can feel like a dangerously self-important endeavor, given the myriad other ways a person with a college education can be useful to the world. If I'm going to crisscross the country year after year, burning fuel and accepting people's money and goodwill, I figure I should give back more than just songs.

I don't consider myself an activist at all. Most of the time I just read articles, ponder/fret over mega-trends far beyond my control, donate some money and call it a day. But seeing An Inconvenient Truth last year definitely had an effect on me. It's good to be jolted into remembering what's important to you, and that you can do something about it.

Q: Why both Habitat and the "green" programs?
A: The initial idea was to volunteer with an environmental nonprofit in each city. But I quickly found out that it's impossible to do most kinds of volunteer work on tour. We often have days off during the week, and most one-time group projects occur on weekends; pretty much everything else requires a long-term commitment. How could we be useful if we only had several hours on a Thursday?

On top of that, I believe that local grassroots organizations usually most effective at tackling problems in their communities; centralized, national organizations tend to be better at lobbying Congress, and I'm not sure I want to get that overtly political. But how would I find a local organization in each town, particularly one where my band and audience could volunteer?

Turns out Habitat For Humanity, which is known all over the world, is really a network of autonomous local affiliates, each of whom determine their own fundraising strategies, house-building sites and projects, etc. Many of them build houses during the week. Their ReStores and DeConstruction service recycle construction materials. And Marika likes power tools. Bingo.

Q: I heard you were going to tour on biodiesel. What happened with that?
A: Scheduling issues. We thought we could get a diesel van in time, but it didn't quite work out. Dodge Sprinters are relatively scarce in the U.S., and rentals are in high demand during the spring tour season (as I found in mid-January, when I tried to make a reservation).

Q: Does alternative fuel really solve the emissions problem anyway?
A: Far from it, but it's a start. Doing research for this tour made me realize how difficult it is to change the way we travel, while ensuring that we're actually doing something positive.

Here's a good series of articles about biofuels, if you're interested.

Biodiesel's advantages include:

• It can be used in any diesel engine. No modification required, and the vehicle can switch between pure biodiesel and regular diesel, or any blend in between.
• Produced from plant matter (a renewable resource), it's biodegradable and nontoxic.
• Since the plants use CO2 in photosynthesis, net carbon dioxide emissions are up to 70% lower than regular gasoline.
• Carbon monoxide and other pollutant emissions are dramatically lower too.
• Because it lacks the sulfur content of petroleum diesel, there are no sulfur oxide or sulfate emmissions (major components of acid rain).
• The Dodge Sprinter engine is more efficient than gasoline-powered vans of comparable size, so less fuel consumed overall.

• Biodiesel doesn't flow well (or at all) at low temperatures, so it's bad for winter travel. It's also a solvent, which means it cleans deposits out the fuel lines (thus clogging filters) and can damage rubber parts.
• Growing massive quantities of corn or soybeans to make biodiesel isn't necessarily less harmful than oil drilling.
• Currently, combusting biodiesel actually produces higher levels of nitrogen dioxide, an air pollutant that contributes to smog and acid rain. This may change as fuel standards evolve.
• Petroleum diesel gets better mileage, so the higher biodiesel content of a blend, the less efficient the fuel.

So you can see the difficulty of finding a practical solution. At the moment, touring on a B20 biodiesel blend would be a symbolic gesture more than a significant reduction in greenhouse gases. It's more about increasing awareness and demand—and thus creating a market—for a clean, sustainable fuel.

Q: How about airplanes?
A: Jet fuel is extremely high-emissions, and there's no alternative available yet. For now, we're flying as little as possible and purchasing carbon offsets, which help fund clean energy and energy conservation projects. Not perfect, but a step in the right direction.

Q: How about gasoline-electric hybrids?
A: Once they come out with a hybrid tour van, I'm there. Since the manufacture and distribution of alternative fuels still haven't reached economies of scale, driving a hybrid might still be the most effective way to reduce emissions. But here in the U.S. they haven't released a hybrid model that can fit a 4-piece band with all their gear. So we wait.

Q: What about the plastic in CD jewel cases? Or the batteries in the instrument pickups? The questionable labor practices in the factory that made your jeans?
A: All good points. We aren't going to tackle everything at once, though. This is an experiment in what's feasible, not just as an occasional project but for business-as-usual for all tours going forward. The goal is to make a few additions and improvements with every trip. "A journey of a thousand miles..."