Environmentalism in music

Environmentalism has occasionally been a topic in music, primarily since the 1940s. However, the earliest songs including environmentalist topics can be traced back to the 19th century, earliest of which is "Woodman! Spare that Tree!" by George Pope Morris and Henry Russell.

This topic was significantly more relevant in music in the '40s after World War II and has continually progressed over time. There are many artists across the world that advocate environmentalism such as the Barenaked Ladies, Bonnie Raitt, Cloud Cult, Dave Matthews Band, Don Henley, Drake, Green Day, Guster, Jack Johnson, KT Tunstall, Metallica, Moby, Pearl Jam, Perry Farrell, Phish. The Roots, Sarah Harmer, Sheryl Crow, Thom Yorke, Willie Nelson, and many others.

In addition to being a topic of music, Environmentalism has been increasingly prevalent among artists and the music industry itself. An example is the push for CDs to be packaged in cardboard rather than plastic. Also, many music festivals such as Bonnaroo make significant efforts to be sustainable.

In the 1960s and 1970s a growing amount of popular music inspired by the counterculture movement reflected anti-war sentiments of peace and harmony. "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell was a song about environmental degradation with lyrics such as "They paved Paradise, put up a parking lot". Her reference to DDT in the song is a reflection of the times as Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring had brought the dangers of DDT into the spotlight. John Denver, a country and folk singer often sang about the wilderness of Colorado with popular songs such as "Rocky Mountain High" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads".

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