a n n u a l re p o rt - Rock the Earth

President’s Message
“Things should start to get interesting right about now”
When Rock the Earth finished 2005, we had just hired our first part-time, paid employee and were preparing to file
our first litigation case a full year ahead of schedule. 2006 picked up where 2005 left off and again, the organization
experienced tremendous growth and gained national credibility. Whether it was the number of projects on which we
worked, the number of volunteers engaged, the amount of money raised, the number of events worked, the grants
for which we applied, the tours on which we traveled or the profile of the artists with whom we collaborated – all
expectations were exceeded. As was the case in 2005, this mercurial growth continues to spring from the hard work,
perseverance and generosity of our nearly (but no longer entirely) volunteer Board and Staff. Some of the highlights
contained within this 2006 Annual Report are:
• Rock the Earth now has over 1650 members in all 50 states, more than doubling (for the third consecutive year)
our 2005 membership. Over 11,000 people are now on our mailing list.
• Nearly 62% of our members and the people on our mailing list have volunteered to assist Rock the Earth in some
way – from helping us out by tabling concerts and festivals, to providing legal or technical assistance, to grant
writing or helping us with publicity.
• Rock the Earth volunteers have logged more than 10,000 hours.
• Rock the Earth had a presence at 162 concert dates throughout the United States in 2006, and had a full-time
team that traversed the country for 18 weeks between May and September.
• Over 100 unpaid volunteers worked these concert and festival events in 2006.
• In 2006, Rock the Earth raised over $102,000 from memberships, sponsorships, donations, grants and auctions
– a 40% increase over 2005!
• With financial support from the Rex Foundation and the Fund for Wild Nature, in March of 2006, Rock the
Earth brought its first litigation matter – a lawsuit against the United States National Park Service for their
mismanagement of a stretch of Colorado River that flows through Grand Canyon National Park.
• Rock the Earth successfully “greened” its first festival – Jam Cruise. With the support of festival promoters,
Rock the Earth partnered with green businesses, artists and another nonprofit to reduce the environmental
impact of the festival, educate and activate attendees on environmental issues, and offset the carbon emissions
from the ship with trees planted in Jamaica and on the Yucatan peninsula.
• Rock the Earth’s volunteer legal and technical Staff reviewed and/or worked on 16 separate, substantive issues
and projects brought to our attention by folks in the music community.
• As 2006 came to a close, Rock the Earth, in collaboration with conservation groups in Hawaii, were preparing
to legally challenge eco-prospecting permits issued for the new National Marine Monument off the Northwest
Hawaiian Islands.
• 2006 marked a turning point in which the media began to take note of Rock the Earth. During the second half of
2006, Rock the Earth was featured in major national and international publications including USA Today, The
Christian Science Monitor, The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Q Magazine.