During April and May 2006, the Student PIRGs’ Campus Climate Challenge teamed up with the popular band Guster for their first-ever Campus Consciousness Tour. In partnership with Guster, City Year, Native Energy, Clif & Luna Bar and ReverbRock, the CCT’s goal was to educate, inspire, and activate students, and above all, to leave a positive impact on each community and college or university that the Tour visited. The Campus Climate Challenge held events and information sessions at 13 different college campuses across the United States – from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA to Duke University in Durham, NC.

A Few Highlights

University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA: UPS student Nicole Allen organized a great game of Environmental Jeopardy. Questions ranged from the serious (Q: A barrel contains 42 gallons of crude oil. This is approximately the current market price of a barrel of oil. A: What is $70/barrel?) to the ridiculous (Q: Aerosol, a substance commonly found in spray cans, is a greenhouse gas. Due to the amount of hairspray he uses, there is quite possibly an area of intense climate change around this famous billionaire’s head. A: Who is Donald Trump? ). Guster guitarist Adam Gardner joined one of the teams, while his fellow band-member Joe Pisapia played “Alex Trebek.”

Check out the article, Guster's Last Stand, about the event.

Michigan State University: Students at Michigan State University organized a “Coffee Talk with Guster” on campus. With help from Student PIRG organizer Lauren Lowenstein, students facilitated a casual discussion about the environmental challenges facing their generation, and offered up ideas that young people can implement to make a difference. Guster band member Adam Gardner loved having the opportunity to hear what students are thinking and to learn from them. And the students? Well – what’s cooler than spending an afternoon with friends and the lead guitarist of Guster?

A Few More Articles of Interest

Alternet, April 5, 2006
The Answer Is Blowin' in the Wind

From Princeton: The Times, May 17, 2006
Group Pushes Small Actions, Global Change

The Dartmouth, May 8, 2006
Big Green Bus to Join Guster on Tour

The Campus Consciousness Tour was organized by Reverb Rock, a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness and support for the environment by connecting touring bands and their fan-base to environmental issues and organizations, via an interactive eco-village.