Can you make money and save the planet - Carlson School of ...

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green Man
erick Boustead is a musician,
an environmentalist, and an entrepreneur.
no wonder he’s the u’s first udall scholar.
4 University of Minnesota
eric Boustead
rock bands are known for espousing green
causes—and for gas-guzzling tour buses and
over-the-top consumerism. Carlson School senior
Erick Boustead has been working to help bands,
including hard-rock favorite Incubus, keep their
tours as green as their words.
What does this have to do with the late Morris
K. (Mo) Udall, who for 30 years represented
Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives?
In 1991 legislation established a foundation
honoring Udall’s legacy as an advocate of Native
American rights and environmentalism. Each
year, the foundation awards scholarships to
80-some undergraduates who demonstrate
a commitment to one of these two areas,
and in spring 2007 Boustead was named the
University of Minnesota’s first Udall Scholar. As
part of his application, the entrepreneurship
major wrote about improving the U.S. economy
while also supporting environmentalism.
Boustead attended a weeklong recognition
event in Arizona, which was, he says, “one of
the best weeks of my life.” As one of only a few
business majors at the event, he enjoyed hearing
the other scholarship recipients’ points of view.
“Everyone was really passionate about improving
the environment through their own specializations,
and it was interesting to hear such a variety of
solutions to key environmental crises,” he notes.
“I also connected with Native American scholars
who taught me about their culture and beliefs.”
Boustead’s commitment to environmentalism
and entrepreneurialism had already led him to
found the music and entertainment business
organization, a resource for students seeking
music-industry internships, as well as a way to
connect local bands with socially conscious
organizations. Boustead, a musician himself, found
his own internship at Music Matters, a Minneapolisbased
company that helps rock and roll bands
tour green. Once bands are signed on to the
program, Boustead helps organize the process of
converting the tour buses to run on biodiesel and
charts courses that coincide with places where the
buses can refuel. He also makes sure that the food,
drinks, and clothing waiting for the bands at each
concert location are locally sourced, fair trade, or
organic. He even helps solicit local environmentally
conscious organizations to pass out leaflets at the
concerts. And Gena, the Twin Cities-based band he
plays drums for, is launching its first album, called
“Mister,” using recycled materials for its CD sleeves.
The internship—which turned into a summer
job—gave Boustead the opportunity to see a
business begin and grow. This fall, he is building on
this knowledge by taking a Carlson School business
plan class, which he hopes will someday help him
launch his own green venture.
—Katy Holmgren
PHOTOGRAPH By SARA JORDE