If you don’t think you can successfully go green as a professional musician, you need to talk to folks like Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, the guys in Pearl Jam and KT Tunstall. These notable artists, along with a slew of others, go the extra mile for the environment, not just on Earth Day, but every day.

There are many ways to make your professional and personal life as a musician greener, along with using your voice to communicate to your listeners and fans about causes you believe in. Here are a few tips for musical artists serious about going green.

–Use cardboard softpacks instead of traditional plastic jewel cases for CD releases. These plastic cases aren’t biodegradable. Most CD manufacturers these days offer eco-friendly packages, so be sure to inquire about them. If they don’t have this option available, let them know why you will be taking your business elsewhere. Also, make sure your album artwork and other merch is printed with vegan dyes.

–Try camping your way through a tour. By camping your way across the country, you’ll be using less electricity and water while getting back to nature. Many acts do this as a way to save money, as well. You could even check with campground companies, such as KOA, to see about working your way across country by offering to provide acoustic entertainment for other campers in exchange for reduced rates on sites.

–Stay at green hotels. Many chains now leave placards in their rooms informing guests they will only replace linens left on the floor. Hang your towels and tell housekeeping you don’t need your bedsheets changed daily. Do you really wash your sheets and towels everyday at home? We’re guessing, and hoping, probably not. Inquire before checking in about the hotel’s housekeeping policies and let them know you’re a green-conscious customer.

–Stop buying so much bottled water. Plastic water bottles are flooding our landfills and have helped to create an island of plastic soup the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (if you don’t know about this, you really should look it up). The enormously profitable bottled water industry has created a need where none previously existed. In many cases, the water in the bottle comes from municipal sources, i.e. it’s tap water. Carry along re-usable water bottles and re-fill as needed.

–Reduce your carbon footprint. “What the heck is a carbon footprint?” you may ask. Basically, it’s how much “greenhouse gas” a person or organization emits in day-to-day life. Smart transportation options help reduce this ugly footprint. It can be as simple and cost efficient as not letting your vehicle idle while loading into and out of the club. Or, if you’re hardcore like Willie Nelson, getting a tour bus/van that runs on biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel may smell like old french fry grease when it’s running down the road, but it’s a heck of a lot better for the environment than normal diesel and other types of gasoline.

A good resource for musicians interested in taking on these green initiatives in their personal and professional lives is the Green Music Group (greenmusicgroup.org), a non-profit organization started by Adam Gardner of the band Guster, and his wife, environmentalist Lauren Sullivan. The website is a great place to begin learning more about what we’ve only touched on here.