Sustainability and Conscious Sound: Music on the Mountaintop

Attendees flocked to stages at the Music on the Mountaintop festival last year. This year the environmentally conscious music event will last two days. Photo by Megan Naylor

By Megan Naylor

Moving into its third year, Music on the Mountaintop festival, an event that unites music and environmental consciousness, has swiftly evolved into one of the largest-scale music festivals ever to be held in Boone, N.C.

The two-day event will take place August 27 to 28, and will feature headliners Sam Bush, Keller Williams, Toubab Krewe, Acoustic Syndicate, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, along with numerous regional and local acts from around Western North Carolina.

This year, Appalachian Voices will be the event’s main featured nonprofit organization, and will receive a portion of the net proceeds.

The mission of the festival is to bring together a combination of good music, local food and environmental awareness. Festival- founder Jimmy Hunt believes offering practical information to the public about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle can change the world for the better, one person at a time.

“Appalachian Voices does a wonderful job setting a high environmental example and being a conscious voice in our community,” said Jimmy Hunt, owner of Yellow Dog Production Inc., and founder of Music on the Mountaintop.

“They have a progressive and positive attitude that is contagious while being one of the hardest working nonprofits in the nation.”

Other nonprofits partnering with the festival will include: Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (AIRE), ASU Energy Center, NC Green Power, High Country Conservancy, Dogwood Alliance, Habitat for Humanity and the Hunger Coalition.

In addition to three music stages, there will be a Green Village, a 35-foot climbing wall, and local, organic food and crafts available.

Hunt says that measures are taken to minimize the festival’s environmental footprint, including solar staging, a shuttle system, compostable products, and recycling and waste removal systems designed for large events.

Prior to the event, a river cleanup is hosted adjacent to the fairground and surrounding area. The cleanup is open to everyone and will be held on Friday, August 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“In addition to the efforts we have made in the past to ensure the event has as low an impact as possible on the environment, we will focus on making everything even more efficient,” said Hunt.

“We will be stepping up our efforts to ensure food vendors use biodegradable dishware and silverware, and our river cleanup this year will be longer and cover more distance leading up to the festival.”

Tickets to the event are currently on sale, and limited campsites will be available. Details about how to purchase tickets or reserve camping are available on the festival’s website.
For more information visit MusicOnTheMountaintop.com.