Recycling initiative brings local bands together for a good cause

We all know that we should be recycling, but sometimes the message gets lost in the bustle of day-to-day activities. That’s where Return-It and CBC come in. The two organisations have teamed up for Green Tracks, an initiative that brought local musicians together to show everyone how important it is to recycle.

Three bands participated in the campaign: Hey Ocean!, Shred Kelly and Yukon Blonde. Each band made a music video where they performed songs with instruments made entirely from recycled beverage containers. Users then voted on their favourites and each band was awarded a sum of money to donate to a charity of their choice, with the amount dependent on how they placed.

Here are the three videos from each band:

Hey Ocean! – If I Were a Ship

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The group relied exclusively on recycled beverage containers for their music, with bottles filled to different levels for different sounds. They filmed their video at Spanish Banks in Point Grey.

Shred Kelly – My Vessel, My Grave

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Following in the footsteps of Hey Ocean!, Shred Kelly used recycled beverage containers for every instrument and even created a ukulele out of a plastic orange juice jug and cymbals from old aluminum cans. They shot their music video in Delta Watershed Park’s beautiful forest.

Yukon Blonde – I Wanna Be Your Man

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Filmed in a loft in Railtown, Yukon Blonde’s submission has a laid back, cool vibe about it. They supplemented their recycled instruments with a piano and an acoustic guitar.

Voting took place throughout the month of September and the winners were:

• First place – Shred Kelly 
• Second place – Hey Ocean!
• Third Place – Yukon Blonde

Shred Kelly won $3,000 to be donated to MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Science, which helps to keep music alive in schools across Canada.

Hey Ocean! won $2,000 that they’ll donate to the Sitka Society for Conservation as their charity of choice. Established in 2014, the Sitka Society for Conservation is a registered non-profit organization which funds practical environmental initiatives.

Yukon Blonde won $1,000 and has chosen Hives For Humanity, a non-profit organization that encourages community connections through apiculture, more commonly known as beekeeping.