Environmentalism has been a major topic in the music touring industry over the last few years. Coldplay recently plotted a sustainable stadium tour and Billie Eilish has worked to make brands more environmentally conscious. And as one of the top-touring artist of the past decade, Ed Sheeran is also taking steps to ensure he’s being environmentally friendly.
Sheeran recently spoke to BBC Radio London about his plans to curb the environmental impact of his touring — and it involves planting a lot of trees. The singer already owns a multi-million dollar estate, which includes at least seven different buildings on one property (including his own private pub!), but he’s now looking to buy up even more land. Sheeran’s goal is to “rewild” parts of the country in order to help the local flora and fauna.
“I’m trying to buy as much land as possible and plant as many trees as possible. I am trying to rewild as much of the UK as I can. I love my county and I love wildlife and the environment,” he said.
The singer acknowledges that touring in an environmentally friendly way can be very tough, but he says he’s still doing the best he can. “I feel like I am going to get my head bitten off anytime I say that, as my job is not a hugely sustainable job as I go and play in cities, but I am trying my best,” he said, adding, “I think it’s about finding the balance with that — and I honestly think that this next tour that I’m going on, at the end of the tour, I can’t see myself going on one of them like that again.”
Apparently, Sheeran already has a history of helping local wildlife. His UK property houses a pond and he even beekeeps. “I have got a massive beehive,” he said. “I have this massive wildlife pond with newts in it, salamanders, and there’s a grass snake that lives in there and hedgehogs.”
Some of the artists covered are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.