Two local businesses are teaming up to promote sustainable living through live music at Gainesville’s first carbon-neutral benefit concert.
The JAM, located at 817 W. University Ave., is hosting Neutral Sounds Benefit Concert for We Are Neutral today at 5 p.m.
Ricky Kendall, Nook & Cranny, the Hard Luck Society, Wax Wings and Fae, Mariama and Dru will perform. Tickets are $10 each, and all proceeds will go to We Are Neutral, a nonprofit sustainability contractor for businesses.
In the past, the organization worked at Bonnaroo and Gainesville’s Fest to create carbon offsets.
Eduardo Arenas, 35-year-old co-owner of The JAM, said people can expect a lot of great music at the concert by musicians who express their values through their lyrics.
“One of the major problems we face is a generation of waste,” Arenas said. “The way we consume and generate trash is one of the things we need to be more mindful of.”
There will be drink specials and an auction with prizes ranging from Swamp Head growlers to free massages from the Florida School of Massage, said Brielle Martinez, 22-year-old marketing coordinator at We Are Neutral. The organization will use the proceeds from the event to buy supplies and cover operating costs.
“We believe that together we can inspire a movement,” she said.
Krysten Jachimecki, a 22-year-old UF history senior, said she thinks the proceeds are going to a good cause.
The JAM’s staff is also passionate about sustainable practices, Arenas said. Employees separate the club’s garbage, recycle and sell draft beers to reduce the amount of trash. They also limit plastic water bottle sales by providing guests with a water station and Mason jars.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 4/11/2014 under the headline "Carbon-neutral concert coming"]
