Grammy-winners Patti LaBelle, Alan Parsons, Colbie Caillat and others will highlight a concert next month at Benedict Music Tent as part of a new Aspen event focusing on climate change.
Backed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the new nonprofit Earth’s Call announced it will host a three-day conference (May 17 to 19) at Aspen Meadows. According to the announcement, “Earth’s Call finds and funds innovative solutions to fight the climate crisis.”
The group said that in an effort to minimize the size of its carbon footprint, there will be a block of free passes for Aspen and Colorado residents. The event will be by invitation-only to interested persons who send an explanation on why they want to attend.
Mitch Salzstein, marketing director for the event, said Sunday several hundred people who apply on their website will be invited, but the key is getting people who are driven to help the environment.
“We are trying to get people who really care and are passionate about the environment and can take the experience back home with them,” he said. “We want to fill it with people who are environmentally driven.”
The Saturday concert will be livestreamed on the nonprofit’s website and hopes to bring international attention to the conference and its mission.
The nonprofit wants to be a “financial catalyst for environmental pioneers,” so they can focus on solving rising global temperatures. They are backed by the MacArthur Foundation’s Lever for Change.
“Earth’s Call was created around the belief that many of the most hopeful solutions to fight climate change get too little funding and attention — while those with funds and attention often struggle to connect with true innovators,” the announcement said.
The Saturday night concert will also include Mickey Hart from Grateful Dead, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the female group Compton Kidz Club and the Earth’s Symphony Orchestra.
For more information on the Aspen event, go to the Earth’s Call website at supportearthscall.org.