They’re off!
Another summer, another season of greening up the local concert scene. Courtesy of venerable KC concert impresario Chris Fritz and the Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone.
“We’re going to do a little thing for Earth Day,” Fritz said, shortly before the venue’s kickoff concert with the Flaming Lips on Friday. “If we do 15 events, we’ll have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any entertainment venue in the country. We don’t have air-conditioning. We limit our water usage.”
The list goes on…
Wildest thing that happened last year – Season Two for Fritz new Bonner Springs Greenventure?
“I didn’t die,” he quips. “I didn’t fall over dead. We’re in the black, actually. We had some great shows; we did good last year. And this year we’re looking at 15 events and we may do 17. I find it fun, I find it kinda fun. You know, we kind of have to rub two nickels together one time to get a piece of copper wire. We have to be innovative.”
To that end, Fritz has landed in-the-black auto company Ford as a sponsor.
“And if you drive a hybrid this year, you get free parking,” Fritz says.
Ford makes at least two; the Ford Fusion and the Escape mini SUV.
There’s more…
“This year the video is going to be completely different,” Fritz says. “We’ve hired that out, actually. We don’t buy it anymore, we lease it because the technology changes every year.”
This season’s lineup includes the Insane Clown Posse, Mix 93.3’s annual teen/tween wilding, 311 with The Offspring, Lilith with local fave Julia Othmer, Vans Warped Tour, Jack Johnson and Slayer & Megadeath.
MandDShagger
Any chance that you can get the carbon worksheet they use at Sandstone. I really doubt that the venue is even carbon neutral. To get the real picture you have to an analysis of every vehicle that comes and goes, how far it drove, what the carbon output of each vehicle is. In short it’s impossible to do. Factor in all the electricity that is used for the shows, which probably comes from coal and it’s a stretch to call this a green venue.
Why not put up a couple of wind turbines? Pay for them by selling ad space on the towers. What about solar panels on the stage roof. What about water runoff from rain? Why is it not captured and stored for toilet/urinal flushing or watering the grass. I would think that a lot of these things could be provided in kind or paid for with grants.
No reason this facility cannot be a model of and for the efficienct use of resources. When Ed Begley puts his stamp of approval on it I’ll buy into the whole “green” thing.
Duke
It’s a political claim, period. Chris Fritz could give 2 shits about the environment. Unless he could make money from it.
Glow1
So Hearne, what’s the deal with Kelly not taking any comments on his Starbeams posts? This is still a blog right?
Rick
It’s a political claim, period. Chris Fritz could give 2 shits about the environment. Unless he could make money from it.
MandDShagger
Glow 1: Hearne doesn’t have the balls to send Kelly Urich packing. His posts are stupid and juvenile and people break his balls about it in a major way. I’d rather read jojo’s screeds backwards then any of Kelly’s stuff. Time to cut the bait Hearne.
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