Janelle Monáe to continue green-minded campus tour

She is a funky, Grammy-nominated musician. The event is a stop in a part-musical, part-awareness concert tour that promotes sustainability.

Together, they are Janelle Monáe’s headlining Campus Consciousness performance at the IU Auditorium.

Josh Glasheen, program director of the Campus Consciousness Tour, said the tour keeps an eye out for upcoming artists who seem to want to be involved in something other than their music careers before approaching them to participate in the tour.
“Janelle Monáe definitely had what we were looking for,” Glasheen said.

The 2011 Campus Consciousness Tour, presented by the Brita FilterForGood Music Project, comes to IU at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available at the IU Box Office.
Monçe grew up in Kansas but made it to the stage to bring an unusual style of a post-modern blend of funk, pop and rock ’n’ roll.

“Music is in my DNA,” she said. “Writing, performing, producing — all that’s part of being an artist. It’s my fit.”

Monáe has traveled with artists such as Bruno Mars and Katy Perry and has been nominated for two Grammys for her album “The ArchAndroid.” She is the founder of her record label, Wondaland Arts Society.

If she had to describe her style, Monáe said it would be “transcending, classic and timeless.”

And when Monáe performs, she hands out the Ten Droid Commandments, a list of guidelines she wrote for her fans.

“One is ‘Thou shalt covet thy neighbor’s jam’, meaning if you see someone jammin’, you better jam harder,” Monáe said.

But underneath the glitz and glam beholds a woman who said she cares about the environment and wants to give an unforgettable show.

“I really respect the Campus Consciousness Tour’s mission, and I’ve wanted to be a part of an organization that was dedicated to promote to be more green and to do all we can to take care of our earth,” Monáe said.

When she learned what this tour was all about, Monáe said she saw this as a great opportunity to get her fans involved in this initiative, as well.

“I want everyone to know that this isn’t just a concert,” she said. “This is an actual experience, and I think it will be an experience you all never forget.”

Unlike previous concerts, the Campus Consciousness Tour is powered by Reverb, a nonprofit organization that helps musicians make their touring process more ecologically friendly.

Reverb sets up an “Eco-Village” and recycling bins and provides reusable water bottles. It also uses organic products in its merchandise.

Brita works with fans and artists to make concerts more sustainable by encouraging fans to use Brita filtered water and a reusable bottle, instead of purchase bottled water.  
To date, Reverb has greened 99 tours and 1,823 events while reducing 99,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

“I believe that any effort to get people to become more conscious of their effects on the environment can only encourage better habits, and I think this tour will do just that,” Auditorium Events Manager Maria Talbert said.