You would think that with his career accomplishments, Jack Johnson might be kicking back beside his surfboard and stacks of well-earned cash. But the Hawai‘i native isn’t so much counting green as he is going green. At his upcoming two-night stand at the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 17 and 18, every concertgoer can pick up a reusable Jack Johnson souvenir stainless steel pint cup with any beverage purchase, or even just to hold some free water. In an experiment in zero tolerance for single-use plastic, there will be no plastic cups or water bottles sold at either show.
The pint-glass giveaway at the Bowl is just one part of Johnson’s All At Once campaign, which involves area nonprofit environmental organizations, such as UCSB Plastic Solutions, Heal the Ocean, the Ocean Futures Society, and the Community Environmental Council, in promoting plastic-free initiatives, sustainable local food systems, and reduced ocean waste. The Santa Barbara Independent spoke with Johnson recently by phone. What follows is a version edited for length.
What got you started on this issue of reducing ocean waste? I grew up surfing and spent a lot of time in the ocean on different sides of the island that I live on in Hawai‘i. There’s one side — on the east shore of Oahu — where if you cross over the high tide line, it’s just full of plastic. It’s a filter out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s accumulated so much plastic that it’s become part of the makeup of the sand.