The Oceti Sakowin Camp: a first of its kind historic gathering of Indigenous Nations. The most recent such assembly of Tribes occurred when the Great Sioux Nation gathered before the Battle at the Little Big Horn.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe supports the peaceful and prayerful message of the Oceti Sakowin leaders. The on-reservation camp allowed the tribe to explore longer term ways to meet the needs of the community that is 100% off-the-grid and features Solar & Wind power generation.

The Tribe filed litigation in federal court in the District of Columbia to challenge the actions of the Army Corps, undo the approval of the pipeline, and enforce their federally protected rights and interests. The lawsuit alleges that the Army Corps violated multiple federal statutes, including the Clean Water Act, National Historic Protection Act, and National Environmental Policy Act, when it issued the permits. The Army Corps has failed to follow the law—both regarding the risk of oil spills and the protection of their sacred places. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is also a part of the lawsuit against the Army Corps.

On Sept. 9, 2016, The Department of Justice, the Department of the Army, and the Department of the Interior called for a stop to construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the immediate area of Lake Oahe along the Missouri River. The statement from the federal agencies also called for national reform to “ensure meaningful tribal input” on infrastructure projects. Their announcement came in the wake of a court decision by the U.S. District Court which denied the Tribe’s request for injunction to halt pipeline construction.

The tribes immediately appealed the court decision and are currently waiting for a ruling on the injunction pending appeal. In the meantime, construction remains halted in the immediate area of Lake Oahe.

Bonnie Raitt with Faith Spotted Eagle and family at the Oceti Sakowin camp. Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Jason Mraz and donated $85k to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Chairman Dave Archambault II’s family join Jackson and Bonnie at Oceti Sakowin camp: Betty Archambault, Joel Rafael, Dave Archambault, Sr., Bonnie Raitt, Donna Archambault Rogers and Jackson Browne. © Jackson Browne

Our mission is to create awareness and support for Native environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and Indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard.

As a unique national Native initiative, Honor the Earth works to a) raise public awareness and b) raise and direct funds to grassroots Native environmental groups. We are the only Native organization that provides both financial support and organizing support to Native environmental initiatives. This model is based on strategic analysis of what is needed to forge change in Indian country, and it is based deep in our communities, histories, and long-term struggles to protect the earth.

Honor the Earth was established by Winona LaDuke and Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, in 1993.  In our 20+ years of operation, we have re-granted over two million dollars to over 200 Native American communities.  

We believe a sustainable world is predicated on transforming economic, social, and political relationships that have been based on systems of conquest toward systems based on just relationships with each other and with the natural world. As our mission states, we are committed to restoring a paradigm that recognizes our collective humanity and our joint dependence on the Earth.

We have seen the rise of a highly inefficient American industrial society on our lands. The largest mining companies in the world began in the heart of Anishinaabe territory- the Keweenaw Peninsula and the Mesabi Iron Range and then traveled the world.

The society which has been created is highly extractive and highly inefficient, where today material resources and water become wasted and toxic, and we waste 60% or more of the energy between the point of origin and point of consumption. This highly destructive economy has reached material limits and is now resorting to extreme extraction. Whether the removal of 500 mountaintops in Appalachia (largely for foreign coal contracts), extreme mining proposals in the Great Lakes region, to Fracking and tar sands extraction, we are clearly on a scorched path.

Choosing the Green Path

Honor the Earth is interested in the transition from this destructive economy and way of life, back towards land-based economics. In this land-based economics, we see that intergenerational and inter-species equity are valued, that cyclical systems are reaffirmed, that not all “natural resources” are up for extraction, and that we behave responsibly.  We recognize the wealth of a land-based economy because we have lived it, and we will continue to work to keep these waters for wild rice, these trees for maple syrup, our lakes for fish, and our land and aquifers present for all relatives.

Native people are in a pivotal position in this time and region. It is essential that we affirm principled and culturally-driven agency. That is to say that, tribal communities often conflicted over extraction as a result of a historic set of decisions forced upon us, are able to be essential agents of change in this time. Honor the Earth will work in the next two years, with first nations, Indigenous communities, and tribal governments to oppose extraction, support a tribal regulatory push for environmental protection, strengthen renewable energy and food systems work in our region, and create a curriculum and learning tool for tribal youth in Indigenous Economics.

Follow @HonorTheEarth

Bonnie Raitt with Winona LaDuke and Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers

Mission
HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. We reach young people and music fans where they already are – at concerts and online – to inform and empower.

Our message is not about what party you support or where you land on an issue. It’s that you must speak to be heard.

Our Vision

Bonnie wants us to vote ! - 2016

Musicians and their fans can be leaders in worldwide social movements. HeadCount is focused on harnessing that ability and translating it into real action. Our goal is to help shape policy and culture in America by galvanizing the music community into a politically influential force.
Organizational Objectives

• Inspire participation in democracy through the power of music
• Provide artists and fans with the tools to be active in democracy
• Harness the music community’s potential to make a positive contribution to society
• Mobilize the music community into a force capable of influencing policy and culture

Methods Of Achieving Objectives

• Voter registration
• Get out the vote activity
• Issue education
• Supporting volunteerism
• Enabling direct participation in democracy
• Promoting sustainable living
• Facilitating communication and community-building among socially conscious music fans
• Working directly with artists and the music industry to serve their philanthropic and cause-related objectives in a manner consistent with HeadCount’s mission
• Staging specific advocacy campaigns

Follow @HeadCountOrg

Bonnie Raitt - Vote Local - HeadCount.org

Bonnie Raitt - Register To Vote - Headcount.org

A Big Thank You After a Crazy Year 2016

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation is the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to preserving Rhythm & Blues music and celebrating the artists who create it.

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation is committed to:

• Assisting Rhythm & Blues artists in need
• Honoring pioneering Rhythm & Blues artists
• Educating the next generation of Rhythm & Blues fans
• Building appreciation of Rhythm & Blues music through performances and concerts

If you love Rhythm & Blues music and want to honor Rhythm & Blues artists, please support the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.

Bonnie Raitt and Ruth Brown attend The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Fifth Annual Pioneer Awards on March 2, 1994 at Roseland in New York City, New York. © Ron Galella /Getty Images

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation had its beginnings in 1987, when legendary performer Ruth Brown brought demands for royalty reform to the attention of Atlantic Records and its founder, Ahmet Ertegun. Ms. Brown’s early hits had put Atlantic Records on the recording industry map and earned the fledgling company the moniker, “The House that Ruth Built.” Sadly, like numerous other pioneering Rhythm & Blues artists, Ms. Brown received little financial compensation for her recordings; and, as a result, suffered deprivations and degradation for several years, at times working as a domestic and at one point being forced to apply for welfare to feed her children. Determined to address the inherent unfairness that characterized so many early contracts and refusing to suffer further indignities, Ms. Brown and her tenacious attorney Howell Begle sought the assistance of Congressional Representatives John Conyers and Mickey Leland, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association to make her case. Ertegun responded to their compelling presentation by donating $1.5 million to address the needs of Ms. Brown and other early Rhythm & Blues artists. Ertegun’s initial donation seeded the formation of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.

Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Awards - Fats Domino, Little Richard and Bonnie Raitt - Hollywood, Calif - 1995 © Alan Clark

The Foundation’s roster of founding directors was a veritable “who’s who” of the entertainment industry. In addition to Brown and Ertegun, early members of the Foundation’s board included Ray Charles, Dan Aykroyd, Dionne Warwick and Bonnie Raitt. Together, they forged programs that provided a much-needed safety net for the Rhythm and Blues performers of the 40s, 50s and 60’s. The Doc Pomus Artist Assistance Fund was established as the Foundation’s first grant program to address the immediate needs of distressed performers. Later, Motown founder Berry Gordy bequeathed $750,000 to the Foundation to establish the Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua Fund in honor of his sister. The Foundation administers the Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua Fund to meet the needs of Motown artists of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Soon after, Universal Music Group followed suit, donating $2 million to the Foundation to provide financial assistance to Rhythm & Blues artists affiliated with Universal or one of its labels. The Foundation has since disbursed over $3 million in grants to needy members of the Rhythm & Blues community.

John Lee Hooker is presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from singer Bonnie Raitt during the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's 10th annual Pioneer Awards in Culver City, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 25, 1999. © E.J. Flynn /AP

Since its founding, the Foundation has launched several award winning programs to educate the public and to provide opportunities for Rhythm & Blues artists to work. The National Endowment for the Arts funded its first Rhythm & Blues program when it supported the Foundation’s Performance Grant program in 1996.   The Performance Grant program matched veteran Rhythm & Blues performers from the 40’s through the 60’s with schools, community-based organizations and arts programs across the country where they performed before appreciative audiences. In 2004, the Foundation’s radio, “Let the Good Times Roll” received the prestigious Peabody Award. Produced in conjunction with National Public Radio, the 26-part series used interviews and historic recordings to explore the evolution of Rhythm and Blues.

Today, the Foundation continues to provide its programs and services from its Philadelphia offices. The Foundation remains committed to its founding mission, on-going services to its constituents, and the presentation of outstanding programs.

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Safety Harbor Kids is formed and operated with the mission to enrich the lives of orphans, foster and homeless children through education in the areas of College, Career, Music and the Arts.
With the goal of promoting the general health and well-being of children in need with our primary emphas is on our Personal Enrichment Programs where the children receive tutoring to help them excel at Academics, How to Get Into College, How to Get a Job, Music, Art and Personal Growth.

Trips for Kids Marin’s mission is to provide transformative cycling experiences for underserved youth. Our programs aim to build self-esteem, inspire healthy lifestyles and instill environmental values. Founded in 1988, we have introduced over 38,000 bay area youth to the joys of mountain biking at our local, state and national park trails.

Marin blues singer Bonnie Raitt has joined the honorary board of the youth cycling program, Trips for Kids.

The Trips for Kids' honorary board also includes several other luminaries from Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties: Huey Lewis, Carlos Santana, Peter Coyote, Robin Williams, Thomas Weisel, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bob Weir.

Trips for Kids Marin currently offers Trail Rides, Mobile Bike Workshops, and Earn-a-bike youth development programs, as well as operates the Re-Cyclery Bike Shop that refurbishes and sells donated bikes, parts and accessories at bargain prices to our local community.

Trips for Kids Marin is a chapter of Trips for Kids, a national 501c3 nonprofit youth development and education umbrella organization. Trips for Kids’ mission is to give every kid in every community the opportunity to know the joy of riding a bike and the freedom to explore the natural world on two wheels.

Since 1988 Trips for Kids has grown into a vast network of chapters located throughout North America. Trips for Kids has enriched the lives of more than 230,000 youth through Discovery Rides, Adventure Clubs, Mobile Bike Clinics, Earn-a-Bike Workshops and Youth@Work programs that help youth to be more active, experience natural places, gain environmental and STEM-based knowledge, build confidence and develop job readiness skills.
To learn more about Trips for Kids, please visit: tripsforkids.org.

Follow @tfkmarin

Green Music Group is a project of the non-profit organization Reverb. GMG is a large-scale, high-profile environmental coalition of musicians, industry leaders and music fans using their collective power to bring about widespread environmental change within the music industry and around the globe.

The founders of GMG include Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, the Dave Matthews Band, The Roots, Linkin Park, Bonnie Raitt, Maroon 5, Barenaked Ladies and Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records.

Leading by example, Green Music Group facilitates large-scale greening of the music community, and magnifies the work of national nonprofits, all while building a vibrant community committed to environmental action.

The broad support of their founding members paired with their leadership as environmental stewards enables GMG to inspire millions to action by:

• Creating an engaging online community of musicians, music industry leaders, and music fans all committed to addressing our greatest environmental concerns.

• Facilitating large-scale greening of the music community through touring, venue, and label standards, resource development, green grants mentoring, and viral video and public service campaigns.

• Providing environmental nonprofits with a megaphone for their cause, allowing them to expand their reach and support base.

• Creating a sustainable green music guild to support and inform the efforts of the music community and position leaders in the music industry as voices for change, working to shine a light on the most pressing environmental issues of our time.

Green Music Group is the first organization to harness the collective power of the entire music community to affect millions of individual actions, bringing about measurable global environmental change. Green Music Group is not simply green in name – they are committed to a sustainable future both on and off-stage.

Considered by many as the Godmother of green touring, Bonnie Raitt has been involved in the environmental movement since the mid-1970’s, performing numerous concerts in support of forest, oil, mining, and water protection. She was also a founding member of MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy), which produced the historic NO NUKES album, concerts, and movie in 1979. She regularly raises funds for a wide range of nonprofit national and grassroots organizations,  lobbies in Washington, and has even been arrested twice for supporting forest policy change.

Bonnie has been involved with groups working for Native American, women's and human rights, as well as the fight against apartheid in South Africa and U.S. involvement in the war in Central America in the 80s.  As one of the founding members of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation she continues to work for increased recognition, health benefits and royalty reform for the pioneer generation of R&B artists to whom we owe so much. In 1995, she helped establish the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Program, which now provides free guitar lessons to kids in over 180 Boys and Girls Clubs around the world. Bonnie co-headlined a billing for the Vote for Change Tour in 2004 to rally voters to get to the polls and brought a message of change to the capital in a rousing finale concert.

On her 2002 Summer Tour, Bonnie initiated Green Highway, a traveling eco-village providing information to concert-goers about alternative energy solutions (solar and wind power,) displaying Honda Hybrid vehicles and connecting fans to local environmental issues and organizations. Green Highway has been integrated into every tour of Bonnie's since and this model of green touring with fan outreach and education has served as the template for dozens of nationwide tours today.

Greenpeace is a global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.

Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.

Each one of us can make small changes in our lives, but together we can change the world. Greenpeace connects people from all over the globe. We bring together diverse perspectives, and help communities and individuals to come together.

Greenpeace isn’t just our staff, and it isn’t just our members. Greenpeace is all of us who are working together for a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace has active social media platforms, organizers who work with volunteers, and an actions team that supports individuals that want to stand up for their beliefs. We organize trainings and skill shares; bring people together for meetings, rallies and marches; and engage all different kinds of people who are impacted by environmental issues.

We are committed to working together with other environmental groups, impacted communities and groups and individuals working for social justice. Fair and just treatment of people is connected to a healthy planet.

Find out how to connect with others on Greenwire.

Musicians Jackson Browne, John Hall, Bonnie Raitt and Freebo on stage at the No Nukes event sponsored by Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), San Francisco, 1979. Greenpeace worked with the Anti-nuclear coalition across Canada, US, and Europe, 1976-1980, and helped produce this event in San Francisco. © Rex Weyler /Greenpeace

Each day at Greenpeace, I am consistently inspired by all the action and power our volunteers and partners achieve in their communities to protect our environment. At Greenpeace, we are not only concerned about winning our campaigns, but supporting a broader social justice movement. Njambi Good, Grassroots Director

We have the courage to take action and stand up for our beliefs. We work together to stop the destruction of the environment using peaceful direct action and creative communication. We don’t just identify problems, we create solutions.

Taking action can mean different things to different people. Our members, volunteers and supporters ask their supermarket to source more sustainable seafood. They climb coal stacks and oil rigs to raise awareness for climate change. They share petitions and Facebook posts with their family and friends. They march in rallies, write letters to politicians, and vote for candidates with strong environmental records. They choose to live a lifestyle that has a lower impact on the planet by choosing what brands to support, what food to eat, and how to travel.

What they all have in common is that they don’t just talk about the issues — they do something, because they know that what we do, big or small, can make a difference.

No one at Greenpeace holds the job title of ‘activist’ or ‘climber’ or ‘boat driver’ or ‘banner maker’ — these are roles and responsibilities filled by everyday folks who come back to teach at your local school or run their small restaurant a few days after they just climbed a smokestack or interrupted business as usual at a polluting facility.  Nathan Santry, Action Unit Head

Follow @greenpeace

OUR MISSION:

We are a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to change women’s lives by providing stepping stones to self-sufficiency through social enterprise.

OUR VISION:

We believe that all women have the power to transform their lives through employment. So we hire women who are chronically unemployed and we teach them to work by making nourishing products. They learn to stand tall, find their purpose and break the cycle of poverty. Because when you change a woman’s life, you change her family’s life.

OUR VALUES:

Bonnie Raitt with Bean Project founder, Jossy Eyre

As we grow and prosper, we promise to hold to the following guiding principles:

OPPORTUNITY: We help women help themselves. We provide opportunities for our participants to discover their talents and develop skills to join the workforce and build a better life.

SERVICE: We strive to “do well by doing good.” We are a social enterprise that believes it is a basic human right to live a stable, healthy life. We serve our supporters, partners, participants and communities by delivering quality products with innovation and efficiency.

TRANSFORMATION: Our efforts transform more than the individual woman. The seeds of hope in one-woman weave threads of success that expand to families and communities with a reach that touches individuals worldwide. From participants and customers to vendors, donors and volunteers, their transformations make a difference.

EMPOWERMENT: Using the tools we provide, women are empowered to change their lives. Our supporters are empowered with the knowledge that they have contributed, not only to the self-worth and self-sufficiency of disadvantaged women, but also to the broad-reaching benefits our communities reap.

SUSTAINABILITY: Instead of a one-time handout, women acquire the tools needed to sustain themselves and their families for a lifetime. We believe in nurturing economic sustainability for our program participants and partners, being ever-mindful of our impact on the environment.

Bonnie Raitt with program participants at meet-and-greet.

Follow @womensbean

Dream Foundation - Adopt a Dream.

The mission of Dream Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families during the end of life’s journey.Dream Foundation helps adults find peace and closure with the realization of a final wish.

 Dream Foundation’s Dreams touch lives, meet essential needs and provide inspiration, comfort and closure at the end of life. Over the past two decades, our Dreams have provided psychosocial and emotional support tailored to thousands of terminally-ill adults and their families.
Our work plays a critical role in the special end-of-life care that focuses on improving quality of life for patients and their families. With the support of a nationwide network of volunteers, hospices, health care organizations and committed donors, Dream Foundation has given life to more than 30,000 Dreams over the past two decades.

Every resource donated, minute volunteered and story shared, enhances the quality of life for terminally-ill adults and their families. You can make a meaningful social impact by supporting our programs.
Thank you for considering a contribution to Dream Foundation, a 501(c)(3), nonprofit, charitable organization. We are proud to maintain Charity Navigator’s four-star rating—its highest—for sound fiscal management ensuring our donors and partners that your investment will be used wisely.
For more information, please contact development@dreamfoundation.org.

Follow @dreamfound

Our Mission
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants.

Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction.

We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive.

Join us

Follow @CenterForBioDiv
 

For Immediate Release, April 7, 2008

Bonnie Raitt Donates Concert Tickets to Help Center for Biological Diversity
Stop Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon National Park

TUCSON, Ariz.— Nine-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Bonnie Raitt and her band will be at the AVA Amphitheatre at Casino del Sol on May 16 in Tucson. Robert Cray is the opening artist.

Ms. Raitt has generously made available some great seats to benefit the Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-headquartered national nonprofit conservation group with more than 40,000 members dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

These Gold and Silver Circle VIP tickets are located in the front center section (201) in Rows D & H.

Golden Circle tickets cost $300 and include a backstage visit with Ms. Raitt; Silver Circle tickets are great seats for a great cause and are $200. These tickets are available through the nonprofit Guacamole Fund and are partially tax deductible. This is a special internet sale only, at www.guacfund.org. Ticket sales start Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at 8 a.m. PDT.

The Center for Biological Diversity systematically and ambitiously uses biological data, legal expertise, and the citizen petition provisions of the powerful Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act to obtain sweeping, legally binding new protections for animals, plants, and the habitat they need to survive.

One of the group’s most recent victories is convincing a federal judge to stop a British firm from drilling test holes for uranium on national forest land near Grand Canyon National Park pending further environmental review. Money raised by the sale of these benefit tickets will help the organization continue its fight against inappropriate mining on the banks of this national treasure.

Bonnie Raitt is known for her lifelong commitment to social activism as well as for her music. She has long been involved with the environmental movement, doing concerts for forest and water conservation and oil and mining activism since the mid-1970s. She was a founding member of MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy), which produced the historic concerts, album, and movie No Nukes in 1979. She has been especially active in the fight to preserve ancient forests, performing numerous concerts, lobbying in Washington, and even getting arrested twice in support of a change in forest policy.

MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly influence the health and welfare of the music community.

Follow @musicares

Bonnie won the MusiCares Person of the Year Award in 1992.

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Bonnie Raitt - Rainy Day Man at James Taylor A MusiCares Person Of The Year Tribute 2006 Bonnie pays tribute to singer/songwriter James Taylor, voted 'Person of the Year 2006' by the MusiCares Foundation, a charity that provides support for struggling musicians.

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Corporations have their lobbyists in Washington, D.C. The people need advocates too.

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest – your interests – in the halls of power. Since our founding in 1971, we have defended democracy, resisted corporate power and worked to ensure that government works for the people – not for big corporations.

We have 400,000 members and supporters throughout the country. We do not participate in partisan political activities or endorse any candidates for elected office. We take no government or corporate money.

We use every tool at our disposal to take on big fights – and win. We mobilize activists to grow democratic movements, watchdog Congress, sue the government when it fails to do its job, petition regulatory agencies to safeguard the public and engage in cutting-edge research that effects change.

With President Donald Trump in office, our work is more urgent than ever. We are one of the leading voices calling for Trump to divest from his business interests, highlighting his conflicts of interest and fighting his destructive agenda.

June 6, 2006

Bonnie Raitt Donates Concert Tickets and Holds Aftershow Reception to Benefit Public Citizen

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Nine-Time Grammy Winner Urges Opposition to Nuclear Power and Advocates Renewable Energy Resources

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In keeping with her concern about the nation’s energy future, best-selling artist and accomplished songwriter Bonnie Raitt has donated 75 seats for her sold-out July 3 concert to benefit Public Citizen. The VIP tickets, which range from $250 to $500, include excellent concert seats and an invitation to a backstage post-concert reception with Raitt and fellow Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist Keb’Mo’.

Public Citizen’s energy program will be the beneficiary of the concert. It is devoted to safeguarding consumers from the impacts of electricity deregulation, educating the public about the dangers of nuclear power, encouraging responsible nuclear waste management and promoting clean energy alternatives. With energy prices at an all-time high, Public Citizen supports stronger fuel economy standards and a windfall profits tax on oil companies, with the proceeds used to finance clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels, increased investment in mass transit, bigger incentives to individuals and small businesses for energy efficiency.

“Public Citizen is extremely honored to be selected by Bonnie Raitt to be a beneficiary of her social activism,” said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook. “Donations and events like these are especially important to us because Public Citizen does not accept corporate or government funds. This enables us to maintain our fierce independence.”

Raitt is as known for her lifelong commitment to social activism as she is for her music. In addition to performing at hundreds of benefit concerts supporting numerous causes over the course of her career, Raitt integrates fundraising activity into her regular touring schedule. For the Souls Alike Summer Tour 2006, Bonnie is offering premium concert tickets and post-performance passes to her like-minded fans interested in supporting the greater good. For more information about Bonnie’s tour dates and activism, please visit www.bonnieraitt.com.

I know that the work Public Citizen is doing today is critical to our future. Please join me in supporting Public Citizen and make a generous contribution now. I support Public Citizen -- I hope you will, too. -- Bonnie

Follow @Public_Citizen

Bonnie was one of Little Kids Rock’s earliest supporters, lending her name, time, and musical expertise when Little Kids Rock was just a small, nameless program in San Francisco in the 1990′s. Since then, the blues legend has visited classrooms, met with students at her soundchecks, and been a proud member of our honorary board.

Honoree Bonnie Raitt speaks onstage during the Little Kids Rock Benefit 2017 at PlayStation Theater on October 18, 2017 in New York City.  © Kevin Mazur /Getty Images for Little Kids Rock

“Little Kids Rock does a great job getting kids excited about music, picking up the slack from budget cuts to put music programs in our schools. They deserve our support.”  -Bonnie

Little Kids Rock transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools. Our network of thousands of K-12 teachers across 45 states leads a national movement that brings innovative and inclusive music education to students.

Using genres including rock, pop, Latin, and rap, our program empowers teachers to build music programs as diverse as the kids they serve. Our students see themselves reflected in their classes, which strengthens their connection to their school, their peers, and their community. Little Kids Rock also donates necessary instruments, and curriculum, meeting a key need of many school music programs.

The world of music expands through innovation. We ensure that music education does as well.

More than 450,000 kids currently participate in Little Kids Rock programs nationwide. Since 2002, the organization has reached more than 850,000 students with highly-inclusive and culturally relevant music education. 

Follow @littlekidsrock
 
 

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Tom Waits (far right), Bonnie Raitt, Norton Buffalo, Austin Willacy and Jason Newsted - Bonnie Raitt told the kids at Spring Valley Elementary about learning guitar when she was 8 years old. Her hands weren't large enough to span the fretboard and make an F chord, so she learned to do it with her thumb.
"Tell Bonnie what we call the F chord," said their guitar teacher, Laura Chinn-Smoot.
"The ouch chord," a couple of dozen young public school guitar students said in unison.
Raitt inveigled her old pal Tom Waits to join her on piano and sing a duet of "Sweet and Shiny Eyes," a song they knew from touring together a few years back when Jerry Ford was still president. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, currently playing with Ozzy Osbourne, picked up his bass, and Norton Buffalo added a little harmonica . . . Raitt, Waits, Buffalo jam with S.F. schoolkids - 10/21/2003 © David Paul Morris

Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal with Jersey City Kids © Little Kids Rock

David Wish and Bonnie Raitt

The Plastic Pollution Coalition mission is to stop plastic pollution and its toxic impact on humans, animals, the ocean and the environment. PPC was founded in 2009 as a platform to amplify a common message through strategic planning and communication. Our more than 400 member organizations and a growing coalition of individuals seek to increase awareness and understanding of the plastic pollution problem, and to find sustainable solutions. We aim to empower more people and more organizations to take action to stop plastic pollution and to live plastic-free.

Bonnie Raitt, as part of the Green Music Challenge initiative challenged her fans to stop using plastic bottles for two weeks and invest in a BPA-free, stainless steel bottle.

“Each of us can make a difference in preventing plastic pollution by refusing single-use plastics, such as plastic water bottles, and make sustainable choices when we shop,” Raitt said.

Plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest.

REFUSE

SINGLE-USE

PLASTIC

Follow @PlasticPollutes

The Guacamole Fund is a non-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) tax status. It assists environmental, social change, cultural and service organizations by facilitating, organizing and producing benefit concerts, rallies, special ticket sales, receptions and media campaigns.

These activities serve to publicize and raise consciousness about issues that are important and timely to the social change and environmental process, as well as raise funds.

We research organizations that are actively involved in these issues and bring this information to the attention of members of the entertainment community.

Best of the West 2018 Lifetime Achievement in Community Service: The Guacamole Fund and Tom Campbell

Folk musicians have a very long history of delivering social commentary plus messages of activism and unity in their songs and performances. Social justice, end to war, protection of the Earth are just the beginning.

Through 40 years of collaboration with major artists like Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills and Nash and many others, Tom Campbell and The Guacamole Fund have been there on the front lines, organizing shows, helping artists identify community programs to support as they tour, and much more.

This year, the 2018 Best of the West Awards at the October 13th conference luncheon will honor the Guacamole Fund with its first ever ‘Lifetime Achievement in Community Service Award‘.

Established as a non-profit in 1974, The Guacamole Fund helps publicize, raise funds, and raise consciousness around timely environmental, social, and cultural change issues. The Fund does its work by facilitating, organizing and producing benefit concerts, rallies, special ticket sales, receptions and media campaigns.

The Fund researches organizations that are actively involved in these public issues and brings this information to the attention of the entertainment community in order to stimulate involvement. The Fund also serves as a sounding board for the celebrity community, commercial production entities, musicians, and entertainment managers seeking help with evaluating proposals to support various causes.

Whenever possible, the Fund involves local activists in their efforts and community members may play significant roles in organizing actual events. They also act as the liaison between the local organization, the artist, the venues, and commercial entities.

The list of accomplishments is long, impressive and very unique. Guacamole Fund members have played significant roles in over 1,200 cultural, educational, environmental, social change and service events since 1974. Staff members have coordinated events ranging from very large outdoor rallies with an attendance of 1,000,000 people, to benefit concerts in stadiums accommodating 30,000 to 100,000. They have assisted with arena events hosting 2,500 to 20,000 people, concert halls and theaters seating 400 to 6,400, and receptions for 25 to 250. The Fund’s Ten/Four Club program offers artists an opportunity to raise funds for public interest work while on their commercial tours.

TOM CAMPBELL has organized more that 600 events: concerts, rallies, etc where rock musicians from Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne to Steve Wonder & Bruce Springsteen have played to make money or publicity for everything from hurricane Mitch to the antinuke movement. His nonprofit Guacomole fund has raised tens of millions of dollars with these events in the past 27 years. He is photographed in his office on 5/3/2001. © Gary Friedman /Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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M.U.S.E supports organizations worldwide working to promote safe, alternative, non-nuclear energy.
Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Jason Mraz, The Doobie Brothers, Tom Morello, John Hall, Kitaro, Jonathan Wilson, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and special guests have joined together for a special benefit event on Sunday, August 7, at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. Proceeds from the concert will be distributed to Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) to support Japan disaster relief efforts, and organizations worldwide working to promote safe, alternative, non-nuclear energy.

CSN, BONNIE RAITT, JACKSON BROWNE ROCK AGAINST NUKES

August 19, 2011 - by Barry Walters, Rolling Stone Magazine

Tom Morello, Jason Mraz join all-star benefit in wake of Japan disaster

"I'm so happy to be here, my dimples are locked," a beaming Bonnie Raitt said during her set at the August 7th all-star concert benefiting MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy), the activist group Raitt, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and John Hall created in 1979 to promote alternatives to nuclear power.

Thirty-two years after they staged five legendary No Nukes shows at Madison Square Garden - with Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, James Taylor and others - the foursome reunited at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View California, inspired by the nuclear disaster in Japan. "We saw the accident in Fukushima as an opportunity to reawaken the American people to the dangers of nuclear power," Nash said backstage during the seven-hour benefit. "The earthquake that caused Fukushima happened 100 kilometers offshore. A year ago they found an earthquake fault just a few hundred yards from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant."

The show, which was powered by renewable energy and streamed live online, had a joyfully collaborative vibe. Raitt, Browne, Nash and former Orleans guitarist Hall - who recently served two terms in Congress representing a New York District - were on and off the stage all day, singing and playing with their many guests.

Highlights abounded: The Doobie Brothers jammed on "Listen to the Music" with Raitt, Browne, Nash and David Crosby; Jason Mraz breezed through a medley of "I'm Yours" and Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds"; and Raitt shredded Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" before harmonizing with Crosby and Nash on a haunted version of "Angel From Montgomery."

Following an acoustic set of his folky Nightwatchman material, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello strapped on an electric for the night's heaviest moment, spitting Hendrix-y solos during a revved version of Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad" with Browne and Raitt. "The sort of disaster that happened in Fukushima is inevitable as long as those who make decisions about energy and the planet are doing it for profit," Morello pointed out backstage as No Nukes vets Sweet Honey in the Rock delivered a lovely a capella version of the blues standard "Midnight Special" with Raitt. "I look at an event like today as a little bit of the world that I want to see. It's people coming together in solidarity to get their hands on the wheel of history and turn it to the correct direction.

Crosby, Stills and Nash closed the night, with an energetic set capped by a sing-along on "Teach Your Children" featuring the entire ensemble. "There's a real emotional tug in singing to power and playing in each other's sets," Raitt told Rolling Stone earlier in the day.

"Anytime you put your lives aside to come together for a bigger cause, it opens your heart."

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In August 2007, musicians Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash, along with longtime energy activists and colleagues, Harvey Wasserman and Tom Campbell, helped organize NukeFree.org as an on-going grassroots campaign and website working to defeat up to $50 billion in proposed loan guarantees for building new atomic reactors. Had these guarantees gone through, there would be virtually no chance of stopping the construction of dozens of new atomic reactors all over the United States.

Garnering support of scores of other artists/musicians and aligning with scientists and environmental groups, in just one month NukeFree.org was able to gather over 120,000 signatures on a petition presented to Congress. In a stunning victory shared with grassroots non-profit safe energy organizations, the proposed loan guarantees were pulled from the 2007 Energy Bill.

But the fight isn't over. Today the nuclear power industry is desperately trying to build new reactors in the United States, and to prolong the operation of the 104 currently licensed to operate here. And since the nuclear industry can't get private financing, they continue to go after state and federal funding for new plants. It is our commitment to stop that from happening. Going forward, NukeFree.org is committed to preventing the construction of new nuclear reactors and helping to pave the way for an energy economy based on renewables, efficiency and conservation. Toward that goal:

∑ The NukeFree.org website serves as an information hub providing up-to-the minute news on the most important nuclear power industry battles taking place across the country. We work closely with other groups monitoring energy issues and will let you know where key battles are shaping up and how you can help stop further funding for the nuclear power industry. It is also a resource providing background and references to learn more about nukes and alternative energy technologies.

∑ NukeFree.org works with the environmental / scientific communities to keep musicians, artists and others educated about nuclear and safe energy issues, as well as advising people how they can best impact energy legislation - using their voices and resources to support positive new green proposals and fight against boondoggles like the nuke loan guarantees.

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Together we can make a difference!

The answer to global warming and so many of our economic problems is with renewables, energy efficiency and conservation. Help us again move beyond the fifty-year failure of atomic energy into a bright, prosperous green-powered future.

No Nukes!                

Your contact for NukeFree.org is:

Harvey Wasserman, Senior Advisor and Website Editor: windhw@mac.com

SOLARTOPIA! Along with wind, solar and bio-fuels, Solartopian energy comes from the waves, currents, rivers and tides; from the geothermal heat beneath the earth's crust; from the interplay of solar-heated water at the oceans' surface and the frigid deep.

Harvey Wasserman

Harvey is a life-long activist who speaks, writes and organizes widely on energy, the environment, history, drug war, election protection and grassroots politics.

He teaches (since 2004) history and cultural & ethnic diversity at two central Ohio colleges, and is married with five daughters and five grandchildren. Harvey works primarily for the permanent shutdown of the nuclear power industry and the birth of Solartopia, a democratic and socially just green-powered Earth free of all fossil and nuclear fuels.

He writes regularly for a wide internet readership through Ecowatch, solartopia.org, freepress.org and nukefree.org, which he edits. His articles also appear at Commondreams, CounterPunch, HuffingtonPost, Buzzflash and others.He hosts the Solartopia Green Power & Wellness Show at www.prn.fm.

He has an MA from the University of Chicago and a BA from the University of Michigan, both in history, and has authored or co-written a dozen books and countless articles, essays, op eds, etc. Howard Zinn, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Marianne Williamson, Studs Terkel, Kurt Vonnegut, Bonnie Raitt, Dennis Kucinich, Dr. Helen Caldicott, Ed Asner, Ina Mae Gaskin, Ralph Nader, Greg Palast, Dar Williams and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are among those who have introduced or endorsed his books.

With Pete Seeger and David Bernz he co-wrote the “Song for Solartopia” which is featured on the Grammy-winning “Tomorrow’s Children” CD. The “RockyTop” version is by Dana “Cows With Guns” Lyons.

Follow @solartopia
 
 

SOLARTOPIA! Introduced by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Visioning a green-powered Earth:
Solartopia “is the good, brave renewable world of sustainability, dignity, prosperity and freedom...
It is beautiful, tangible, credible, necessary, and do-able”… RFK, Jr.

REVERB is a non-profit organization and creates and executes comprehensive, custom programs to green the tour itself while engaging concertgoers to take action for the environment.

Music moves us—moves us to feel, moves us to care, moves us to action. Musicians have an unparalleled ability to bring huge numbers of people together both physically and emotionally. REVERB harnesses this power to inspire millions of music lovers and music makers to take part in tackling today’s most pressing environmental and social issues.

Change only happens when enough people come together to MAKE it happen.

Our Mission

Uniting around the music we love, tackling the environmental and social issues we face, REVERB is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to empowering millions of individuals to take action toward a better future for people and the planet.

Our Story

REVERB was founded in 2004 by environmentalist Lauren Sullivan and her musician husband, Adam Gardner of Guster. While Lauren was seeing the power musicians brought to environmental campaigns when she was working at the Rainforest Action Network, Adam was feeling badly about the size of his band’s environmental footprint on tour.

After speaking to a number of other touring musicians who felt the same way, they decided to form REVERB. Lauren reached out to Bonnie Raitt’s manager, Kathy Kane after seeing Bonnie’s Green Highway tour which was an earth-friendly tour that educated fans at shows. REVERB was initially a project of Kathy and Bonnie’s ARIA Foundation until it grew into it’s own 501c3 organization.

Bonnie's work with Green Highway served as a major source of guidance and inspiration in Reverb's early days.
We take a positive “work-with” approach and believe that being green is not all or nothing; many people doing some things will have more impact than a few people doing everything. All of us can be active participants in protecting the environment and creating real, large-scale, and measurable change.

REVERB’s early artist partners were Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Maroon 5, John Mayer and Barenaked Ladies–and continue to work with all of them to this day.

Follow @REVERB_org

Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on the land. Family farmers are our only guarantee for fresh, local food. Our goal is to bring together family farmers and citizens to restore family farm-centered agriculture.
Family farmers ensure safe, healthful food, protect natural resources, and strengthen local economies.

Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $53 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture.

Help keep family farmers on the land

"After 30 years, we are still here, you're still here, and together we're still fighting for the farmers.
The fight ain't over yet but we're gaining on those suckers, so stay with us." — Willie Nelson

Promoting Food from Family Farms

We know that to keep family farmers on the land we have to increase the number of people buying their good food. From our annual concert event that features family farm food and unites farmers, artists, and concerned citizens, to our inspiring and informative tv, radio, mail and web campaigns (including our HOMEGROWN.org website), we are building a powerful movement for good food from family farms.

Growing the Good Food Movement

In order for family farmers to thrive we have to create more markets for them, giving more people the opportunity to access family farm food. Farm Aid fosters connections between farmers and eaters by growing and strengthening local and regional markets and working to get family farm food in urban neighborhoods, grocery stores, restaurants, schools and other public institutions.

Helping Farmers Thrive

Since 1985, Farm Aid has answered 1-800-FARM-AID to provide immediate and effective support services to farm families in crisis. Now Farm Aid’s online Farmer Resource Network connects farmers to an extensive network of organizations across the country that help farmers find the resources they need to access new markets, transition to more sustainable and profitable farming practices, and survive natural disasters.

Taking Action to Change the System

Farm Aid works with local, regional and national organizations to promote fair farm policies and grassroots organizing campaigns designed to defend and bolster family farm-centered agriculture. We’ve worked side-by-side with farmers to protest factory farms and inform farmers and eaters about issues like genetically modified food and growth hormones. By strengthening the voices of family farmers, Farm Aid stands up for the people upon whom we all depend. Farm Aid’s Action Center allows concerned citizens to become advocates for farm policy change.

Learn More

• Read about Farm Aid’s staff and board of directors
• How to contact Farm Aid
• Learn about Farm Aid’s work
• Explore a timeline that looks back at 30 years of Farm Aid concerts and our actions that help family farmers thrive
• Read Farm Aid’s annual report to view financial data and see how we are working towards our mission of building a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America
• Visit our careers page to learn about job openings at Farm Aid

Follow @farmaid

Please donate today.

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Bonnie Raitt at the first Farm Aid - Champaign, Il USA - September 22, 1985  © David Seelig

Neil Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews at Farm Aid at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 21, 2013 in Saratoga Springs, New York. © Paul Natkin /Wire Image

Seva works with local communities around the world to develop self-sustaining programs that preserve and restore sight.

At the heart of Seva''s vision is a growing perception that western technology and skills must be used in ways that are sustainable and that can be shared with those who do not have access to capital and resources. We call this compassionate capitalism.

Seva is a global nonprofit eye care organization that transforms lives and strengthens communities by restoring sight and preventing blindness.

We train local eye care providers and develop self-sustaining eye programs around the world.

Together we provide critical eye care to underserved communities, especially women, children, and indigenous peoples.

Seva has helped 5 million people regain their sight in more than 20 countries.

36 million people in the world are blind. 80% of them could see again with your help.

Restoring sight is one of the most effective ways to relieve suffering and reduce poverty.

Your $50 donation restores sight with a 15-minute cataract surgery that changes someone's life forever. You can donate to Seva here.

Follow @Seva_Foundation

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Defending the Planet One Beat at a Time

At Rock the Earth, we believe artists and musicians are especially equipped to reach people at their core, crossing cultural and political divides that threaten our planet. Through art and music, we can inspire communities to unify, mobilize, and fight for our environment.

Founded in 2002 by environmental attorney Marc Ross, Rock the Earth has partnered with some of music’s biggest names and galvanized support for dozens of conservation issues. Through a robust base of volunteers, Rock the Earth has educated millions of music fans about environmental threats and protections.

In 2017, Rock the Earth took the next step in its history and joined the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, a national environmental nonprofit dedicated to advocating for environmental protections. Since becoming a program of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Rock the Earth is expanding its national reach to advocates to ensure the existence of a sustainable and healthy environment for all.

We believe that everyone is afforded the same rights to clean air, clean water, lands and a healthy climate, no matter your zip code or the amount of money in your bank account. By partnering with artists and the music industry— musicians, concert venues, festivals—whose work often bridges cultural and political divides, reaching people at their core and creating shared experiences, we can connect with people and engage them in civic action that will lead to better environmental conditions for all communities.

Rock the Earth is a national nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting and defending our natural resources through partnerships with the music industry and the worldwide environmental community to ensure a sustainable and healthy planet for all.

Bonnie Raitt with Marc Ross - Founder of Rock The Earth

Follow @RocktheEarth

Fighting for People & Planet

Mission

Rainforest Action Network preserves forests, protects the climate and upholds human rights by challenging corporate power and systemic injustice through frontline partnerships and strategic campaigns.

Vision

RAN works toward a world where the rights and dignity of all communities are respected and where healthy forests, a stable climate and wild biodiversity are protected and celebrated.

RAN supporter Bonnie Raitt and RAN president Randy Hayes at the 1999 World Rainforest Awards Dinner (Photo courtesy RAN)

Values

Fighting for People and Planet

We are committed to doing what is necessary, not only what is considered politically feasible, to preserve rainforests, protect the climate, and uphold human rights.

Respect and Integrity

Our commitment to fairness and equity demands that we treat each other, fellow activists, and community partners with honesty, respect and dignity and that we are accountable to these relationships.

Indigenous and Frontline Partnerships

We are committed to working with Indigenous communities and frontline communities directly impacted by profit-driven systems of injustice. We support the leadership of these communities in working on strategic and effective solutions to protect people and the planet.

People Power

We believe creativity, integrity and people power drive the success in our campaigns and in our organization; while compassion, irreverence, and a celebration of life’s possibilities drive the commitment to our mission.

Racial Justice

We believe racial inequity underpins systemic injustice and we are committed to incorporating a racial justice analysis into our programs and operations to challenge that inequity.

Traditional and Indigenous Peoples

We support Traditional and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including the right to sovereignty, self-determination, reparations and the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) regarding decisions implicating customary rights on traditional lands.

Social Justice

We recognize the intersectionality of systems of oppression and the interdependence of all fights for social justice.

Wildness and Biodiversity

We honor the intrinsic value of biodiversity and wildness. We recognize our interdependence with healthy natural systems and seek to maintain the integrity, richness and abundance of life in all its forms.

Systemic Change

We are a collaborative organization that challenges corporate power and exposes institutional systems of injustice in order to drive positive systemic change.

Follow @ran

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NIRS is a national non-profit organization devoted to a nuclear-free, carbon-free world.

We have served as the information and networking hub for people and organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues since 1978.

We work internationally to create a sustainable energy future without nuclear power, and are affiliated with the World Information Service on Energy (WISE) International.

We Support:

• A nuclear free, carbon free sustainable energy future.
• A democratically-based energy system in which communities are empowered to make decisions about their energy sources.
• Environmental justice.
• Just transition that addresses the needs of communities during the progression from nuclear energy and fossil fuels to renewable energy.
• Prevention of and protection from exposure to radiation.
•  

The Nuclear Information and Resource Service relies on activism and contributions from citizens across the world to support our efforts for a nuclear-free planet and a sustainable energy future.

Please join Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, the Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, The Fray, Bob Weir, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Guster, Ed Begley, Jr., James Cromwell, Graham Nash and other well-known and lesser-known but vital NIRS supporters and contribute financially and/or with your time.

Follow @nirsnet 

Today we face serious threats from global warming, industrial pollution, radioactive wastes, deforestation, an overdependence on oil and a host of other challenges. But there are healthy alternatives and viable technologies that can help us to tread more lightly on the Earth.

The sun, the wind and our own human ingenuity offer us wonderful solutions to the problems facing our earth. Products and organizations working in harmony with the environment bring us answers that are good for the economy, for jobs and for the quality of our lives for years to come.

What we continue to learn is that what's good for the environment is ultimately good for the economy and for employment. Things that we once considered "alternative" are now viable consumer choices that each of us can begin to make to have a positive impact — thus decreasing our footprint on the natural world. We're starting with greening on tour by making efforts backstage to reduce consumption of single-use plastics, and we encourage you to take this message of sustainability home with you to your families and your communities.

To learn more about the challenges our environment faces, get more involved with organizations working on human rights and social justice, Blues and music education, safe and sustainable energy and environmental protection, we invite different organizations from the communities we visit on tour to come out and share information about their work with concertgoers. Together we are raising awareness and making an impact to improve our collective future.

We invite you to peruse our website and visit each of the links provided. This website is a companion to those of the living, breathing nonprofit organizations invited to join our Green Highway.

“ We are delighted to have the opportunity to offer a platform for information-sharing to a wide array of wonderful, grassroots organizations as we travel on tour. We thank them and you for your sustained interest and support in protecting our environment, human rights and cultural heritage.”
— Bonnie Raitt

Green Highway Co-Creators: Bonnie Raitt & Kathy Kane and Senior Advisor Harvey Wasserman.

Follow @GreenHighway17

Our Story

True and lasting change happens when the power of the law is on your side.
That is why the earth needs a good lawyer.

Today’s environmental challenges are greater than ever.But we live in a country of strong environmental laws—and Earthjustice holds those who break our nation’s laws accountable for their actions.
Earthjustice has been the legal backbone for thousands of organizations, large and small.
Behind nearly every major environmental win, you'll find Earthjustice.

As the nation’s largest nonprofit environmental law organization, we leverage our expertise and commitment to fight for justice and advance the promise of a healthy world for all. We represent every one of our clients free of charge.
You’re serious about making the world a better place.
So are we.

Earthjustice’s decades of success are thanks to strong partnerships with hundreds of organizations — and hundreds of thousands of passionate supporters.

Because we believe as you do.

These are fights we cannot lose.

By contributing to Earthjustice, you will help safeguard national forests and other wild lands, reduce air and water pollution, and preserve endangered species and wildlife habitat.

Using the power of law to defend our right to a healthy environment.

Follow @earthjustice

In the summer of 2004, designer Hannah Garrison was focused on making jewelry from recycled and found objects. Her island studio was also a gathering place for all kinds of people, especially musicians.  Naturally, she began to pick up the refuse they left, and transform it into art – specifically, guitar string bracelets were born. 

Her initial designs were gifted to and purchased by the girlfriends, wives and families of local musicians. After the initial inventory sold, Garrison moved to Mexico to work for a designer there, and the guitar string bracelet idea lay dormant for a  few years.  Then one day, back in NYC, she stumbled upon a Craigslist ad for someone who did interesting things with guitar strings.  All of her ideas came tumbling back.  Alongside the ex-president and publisher of Relix Magazine, the Wear Your Music concept was born: Bracelets made from guitar strings used and donated by acclaimed musicians with the profits going to the charities of their choosing.

The story begins there and continues.

Today, over 150 acclaimed musicians, from Eric Clapton to John Mayer to Carlos Santana to Bonnie Raitt, donate their used strings. Removed from the waste stream, the materials are handcrafted in Providence, RI and become one-of-a-kind memorabilia. Profits from the sales of these bracelets benefit any charity the musician chooses.

Follow @WearYourMusic

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.

Who We Are

In 1994 Sweet Relief Musicians Fund was incorporated as a 501C3 nonprofit charity and for the past 24 years has been offering vital assistance to professional musical artists in need. Many prominent musicians, professionals and music fans have contributed enthusiastically to Sweet Relief. Benefits have been performed in venues from Miami to Seattle, with performances donated by many established and emerging artists. Nightclubs, concert halls, radio stations, internet sites, restaurants, clothing and shoe companies, music retailers, athletes, actors, corporations, foundations and music fans have all participated with Sweet Relief to assist struggling musicians.

Music has made all of our lives, and the events in our lives special and memorable. While few find fame and fortune, most musicians remain in the field for their love and passion of music. The choice an individual makes to be a professional musician is one of sacrifice. The average income across the various employment options while accounting for the part time nature of most opportunities is less than $25,000 annually. Over 65% of professional musicians do not have health insurance. Since the mid 1960’s (Post Beatles) the number of individuals choosing music as a career grew exponentially. Previous to this time most professionals were either orchestra and classical players or jazz and blues artists. The explosion of pop, rock and country career musicians over a 20-year period in the U.S. represented an artistic and cultural revolution.

While the financial hardship a musicians faces when dealing with illness or disability may be a constant, we now face a burgeoning elder population of artists with little or no resources available for such emergency situations.

Our Founder

Sweet Relief was founded by singer-songwriter Victoria Williams in 1993. Victoria, while on a career-making tour with Neil Young was forced to drop off mid-schedule after experiencing unexplained debilitating symptoms. A long and painful diagnostic process revealed she had multiple sclerosis.

After her diagnosis, a group of friends assembled an all-star album of Victoria’s songs, Sweet Relief, which alleviated much of her medical debt. Vic, knowing that there are many musicians like her -unable to afford medical expenses and compromised in their ability to work- donated some of her proceeds from the album to found Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

The name of the fund derives from a song of Victoria’s, Opelousas (Sweet Relief) and the fact that we do provide sweet relief in the form of financial assistance to many musicians who would otherwise be in untenable predicaments.

Follow @SweetRelief