The Cause
At the end of the day, we hope to offer a significant financial contribution back to the cause and research of renewable and alternative energy.
Our Mission
Our mission with Music on the Mountaintop is to bridge the gap between traditional business and environmental stewardship. Through the medium of music we hope to educate while entertaining, offering practical and useful information to help you live a more sustainable and green lifestyle. We hope by offering the best musical talent, as well as positive environmental message, we can change the world one person at a time.
AIRE- Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy
This year we have teamed with one of the most active non-profits out there today. AIRE (Appalachian’s Institute for Renewable Energy) was formed to promote strong economies and healthy environments throughout Central and Southern Appalachia. They seek to reduce the region's dependence on mountain-top removal coal mining and other nonrenewable energy sources, and to create economically and environmentally sustainable livelihoods. They promote local and regional economic development based on renewable energy production--economies characterized by citizen control and community benefit. They work to educate policy makers, organize local communities, research appropriate technologies, and support community-scale energy projects. For information about AIRE, please visit: http://aire-nc.org/
The Green Village
In addition to our coop with AIRE, the Green Village at Music on the Mountaintop is a conglomerate of some of the most efficient and amazing non-profit organizations in the field of environmental and social awareness. Below is a list and links to those non-profits:
Hunger Coalition
Green Practices
River Clean Up River Clean Up - By collaborating with two organizations, Appalachian State University’s Sustainable Development Program and The National Committee for the New River , we are organizing our first river cleanup. Local creeks next to the fairgrounds run directly into the New River, considered by some to be one of the oldest rivers in the world. Keeping its tributaries clean is imperative to North Carolina and the Appalachian region. We will use a team of volunteers to pick up trash from the river, river bank, and surrounding area Friday, August 28 th , 2009 from 3-6PM. What better way to enjoy a beautiful fall day in Boone!!!
Solar Staging Solar Staging - Daisy, a portable solar and wind turbine generator donated by the Appalachian State Energy Center will be back in full force this year powering our third stage! Thank you Sun! For more information on renewable energy or the Appalachian State Energy Center, please visit: http://www.energy.appstate.edu/
Shuttle and Carpooling - Though this idea is not new, we are offering a more efficient shuttle service to our festival participants. We want to encourage carpooling for two main reasons; safety and reduction of pollution due to mass individual transportation.
Compostable Product Use - Last year we composted several hundreds of pounds of waste to the local composting facility of Boone. This year however, we plan to build our own onsite facility,hopes of generating fertilizer and energy for future events. For help, we are joining forces with several graduate students from Appalachian State’s appropriate technology department.
Live Environmental Forum - Recreating an idea from the Bonnaroo Music Festival, we are hosting our first ever live forum made up of the top artists offered at Music on the Mountaintop. This will allow our fans to interact with the musicians on relevant and current environmental issues. Similarly to our particular sponsor selections, we also book musicians that have similar ecological mindsets.
Food Drive - We are teaming up with several Greek social organizations from Appalachian State University to host our first canned food drive benefitting the local Hunger Coalition, as well as encouraging our attendees to give financial donations. The fraternities and sororities at Appalachian State have always had effective and generous community activism and we are happy to bring the two together.