girl in red goes greener with CHOOOSE - embarks new tour with Sustainable Aviation Fuel

The Norwegian indie-pop star girl in red extends her partnership with CHOOOSE to become one of the world’s first artists to reduce the carbon footprint of her upcoming world tour using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Norwegian artist Marie Ulven better known as girl in red, is finally ready to return to touring life after two years of a forced pandemic break. Starting in March, she will play 57 concerts across 16 countries in 2022-2023 while combining climate action with culture.

The 23-year-old, who recently signed with Columbia Records, has had a skyrocketing career since her breakthrough via the Norwegian music competition NRK Uørt back in 2019. The release of her debut album “If I could make it go quiet” in 2021 received critically acclaimed reviews worldwide and was even highly endorsed by her music muse, Taylor Swift. She was also listed in the top 30 under 30 in Europe, spotlighting the next generation of talent by Forbes Magazine in 2021.

The same year as her breakthrough, girl in red entered a partnership with climate-tech company CHOOOSE to lower the environmental impact of touring.

Marie is one of several artists alongside names like Coldplay and Billie Eilish, who have started to take active responsibility for the carbon footprint of their touring by seeking green alternatives to make life on the road and engaging with fans more sustainable. Her much-anticipated world tour will kick off on March 7th in Atlanta, Georgia, which, unfortunately, requires flying.

“I’m keen to reduce the environmental impact that a busy touring schedule can cause. I’ve been feeling very guilty about travelling so much,” Marie explains. “With touring there’s a lot of plane rides, buses, cars and Ubers and that doesn’t feel good. I don’t like that.” For this reason, girl in red has worked with CHOOOSE for several years to support CO2 reducing projects supporting multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals. But for the upcoming world tour, girl in red will become one of the first global artists to address the carbon footprint related to her tour activities through a mix of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and a high-impact reforestation project.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a clean substitute for fossil- jet fuel, made from sustainable resources. Compared to fossil jet fuel, SAF can reduce carbon emissions by 80%, significantly lowering the aviation industry’s footprint. SAF recycles the CO₂ that is already present in our atmosphere, whereas jet fuel unlocks additional CO₂ that was previously stored underground.

The highest source of carbon emissions for music tours is usually flights, but other unavoidable emission factors also include ground transportation, accommodation, crew members, cargo, electricity and more.

«My job and passion involve a lot of travelling around the world. Knowing that I can reduce the impact of my tour makes me so happy and relieved. I was so excited when I discovered CHOOOSE, because it was exactly the organisation I wanted to exist but didn’t really know it did. So I’m very happy to be working with CHOOOSE to help our one and only mother earth,» says girl in red.

The reforestation project is located in Mississippi, USA, aligning well with Marie’s first tour destination stop. By reforesting land, the project sequesters carbon, restores species’ habitats, and cleans the water in the local area.

“The best solution available to address carbon emissions from flying is Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and we’re proud to continue our partnership with girl in red to raise awareness for new decarbonization technology which can significantly help reduce the environmental impact of touring”, says CHOOOSE founder and CEO Andreas Slettvoll.

In an interview in 2019 Marie told DYI Mag that she admires the growing number of major artists speaking out about the climate crisis, and in particular, The 1975, who released a single with Greta Thunberg and offered fans the opportunity to get new designs printed on their old tour t-shirts, in an effort to be more sustainable. “I feel like a lot of musicians talk about it,” she says, “but not everyone necessarily tries to make a difference.

When announcing the tour to her fans girl in red shared the following message.

This past year has made me realise that I don’t feel alive without going on tour, and you guys are the heartbeat of this project. I can’t wait to see you!

The mosh pit will be crazy.

Love you, take care!

–Marie.

The World in Red tour kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 7th 2022 and will be one of the world’s first music tours bundled with Sustainable Aviation Fuel. You can book tickets to girl in red’s world tour here.

Want to compensate for your next journey using Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

The CHOOOSE climate platform gives you direct access here.