Bono and U2 -- Celebrity Green Report
Written By Katherine Sansom
May 22, 2007
These days, Bono is best known for his political activism and outspoken support for a variety of social and environmental causes, but he has also made a very definite mark on the music industry!
U2 released eleven albums between 1980 and 2004, and their brand of Irish rock’n’roll has earned the group twenty-two Grammy awards, five MTV awards and a Golden Globe. They have been filling out stadiums and expanding a fan base of millions since they began and are still showing no signs of slowing down.
Since U2 began, they have been known for their political anger and unrestrained rebelliousness, but Bono cites a chance viewing of the 1979 Secret Policeman’s Ball – the annual, star-filled Amnesty International fundraising event – as the event which opened his mind to global politics.
Since then, Bono has used his high profile as a tool to raise awareness of the issues of third world debt, Africa’s HIV and AIDS pandemic, trade restrictions and environmental issues. In 2002, he met with George W. Bush for the first time to discuss these issues, and set up DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) in collaboration with Drop the Debt Campaign.
Bono has since also founded Project RED, an initiative that aims to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa by encouraging shoppers to choose items with the ‘RED’ label. Advertising for the initiative has featured celebrities as high profile as Scarlett Johansson, and companies like Apple and Armani have provided goods.
In 2005, Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, launched an alternative fashion label titled EDUN. The range is made from eco-friendly materials and organic textiles, and it uses sustainable manufacturing techniques in poverty-stricken countries such as Africa, India and South America. The range has the long-term goal of encouraging investment in these countries and demonstrating an ethical business model.
In January 2006, Bono went to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum Meeting and discuss action on global warming. He also made the environment one of the focuses of British newspaper, The Independent, when he guest-edited it last year. He will also be guest-editor of Vanity Fair in July of this year for the magazine’s Africa-themed issue.
Bono will be performing at ‘Live Earth’ in July. ‘Live Earth’ will be made up of nine concerts across all seven continents, with 150 musicians and an audience of two billion! The proceeds of the twenty-four hour concert will be put towards a foundation that will be working to combat climate change around the world.
For his tireless humanitarian and environmental efforts, Bono has been honored with three Nobel Peace Prize nominations (in 2003, 2004 and 2005), and in 2005, he was awarded the Portuguese Order of Liberty.
www.data.org/
www.edun.ie/
http://www.joinred.com/
www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback/
www.liveearth.org/
