BUSINESS NEWS 4/15/2026
MSA BOBBY WEIR SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS:
SEE THE INAUGURAL WINNERS
Sara Tomkins, Maggie Baird and Adam Gardner at the 2026 Music Sustainability Summit
Photo: Jeff Kravitz
The inaugural MSA Bobby Weir Sustainability Awards were given out on Tuesday (April 14) at the third annual Music Sustainability Summit in Los Angeles.
Named in honor of the late Grateful Dead co-founder and with the support of his family, the awards honor those whose work integrating sustainability into the music industry has made a significant impact.
“Bobby understood that music doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It lives in communities, it’s in the air that we all share, and he understood the responsibility that comes with bringing people together. He approached touring not just as a series of events, but as a living, breathing ecosystem, one that could evolve, improve and give back,” Music Sustainability Alliance leaders Amy Morrison and Kurt Langer said while reading a statement provided by the Weir family during the awards presentation. The awards themselves were also sustainable, made from wood from fallen trees in Los Angeles.
The first award went to Manchester UK venue Co-op Live, which opened in May 2024. The 23,000 capacity venue was awarded for its work in creating a best-in-class sustainable venue, with the space operating on 100% clean electricity, a zero waste to landfill model, the elimination of single-use plastic bottles and the implementation of reusable cups. Co-op Live also offers eco-friendly travel and sustainable menu options and has donated 1 million pounds annually to organizations benefiting the local community.
The award was accepted by Co-op Live’s sustainability and community director, Sara Tomkins. “We are committed to the planet, and all we are trying to do is to show what can be done and to continually do it better to have a positive legacy on the planet,” Tomkins said in her speech. “To be honored and celebrated within the same breath as Bobby Weir and his incredible legacy is an inspiration for me and all of the team back in Manchester.”
The second award went to the longstanding industry environmental advocacy organization REVERB. Since 2004, REVERB has been greening the live music industry and mobilizing fans to take action, having partnered with acts including Billie Eilish, Dead & Company, Dave Matthews Band, Lorde, Odesza, Shawn Mendes, Tame Impala and The 1975. To date, it has greened more than 450 tours, while its programs have created more than 8.6 million fan actions, prevented the use of 4.6 million single-use plastic water bottles and supported more than 6,300 nonprofit organizations.
The award was accepted by REVERB’s co-founder and co-CEO Adam Gardner, who created the organization alongside his wife, Lauren Sullivan. “There’s no other band or musician that has the community that the Grateful Dead and all the bands related to the Grateful Dead have,” Gardner said while accepting the award. “Bob used that incredible community to take collective action and have communal impact in ways that were inspiring and will continue to be inspiring for generations.”
The final award went to longtime environmentalist, Support + Feed founder and Billie Eilish and FINNEAS’ mom, Maggie Baird, who, as Langer said while introducing her, “works tirelessly to bring climate positive practices not only to every aspect of the industry, but to everything she does. And as the founder of Support + Feed and a longtime advocate for plant-based solutions, Maggie has helped reshape sustainability across major global tours alongside her children.”
Baird cited Eilish and FINNEAS while accepting the award, saying “first of all, I’ll thank my children, because I’ve always cared about the planet desperately, my whole life, and it’s crazy to me that I found myself in this industry that I had always loved so much, just by the nature of my children being here and everything they achieved and that they amazingly gave me a platform and let me share their incredible platforms to do what they believe in, and do the thing I had always wanted to do the most, which was try to make environmental change.
“I’m just grateful to my children for what they do and how they stick their necks out and how they say things in public and take risks,” Baird continued. “I’m very proud of them. I just want to thank all the people on the team; their management team is amazing, and their label is incredible, and their promoters and their touring team and everybody who has listened to me say things until they’re sick of me, but they’ve made these amazing changes. And I want to thank all the Support + Feed team… And I want to thank REVERB… they made such a huge difference for me.”
The three honorees were selected for exemplifying excellence in innovation, leadership, impact and influence in the world of music environmentalism. Nominees were solicited through an open call to approximately 30 representatives and organizations throughout the music industry, with nominees then verified by the Music Sustainability Alliance. A group of finalists was submitted to a panel of five independent judges, including members of the Weir family, the music industry, the climate movement and corporate sustainability programs.
The awards, made from the wood of fallen trees in Los Angeles, were handed out at the Sustainability Summit in L.A. on April 14.
By Katie Bain
Awards Announcement
Music Sustainability Alliance launches
“MSA Bobby Weir Sustainability Awards”
Bobby Weir, photo by Chloe Weir Photography
Inaugural awards to be presented at 2026 Music Sustainability Summit
in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 14
LOS ANGELES, CA – March 31, 2026 – The Music Sustainability Alliance (MSA), a music industry coalition established to convene, educate and empower the industry to embrace sustainability, has announced the MSA Bobby Weir Sustainability Awards, a new annual honor recognizing individuals and organizations in music who are advancing environmental responsibility and climate action.
The inaugural “Bobby Awards” will be presented at the 2026 Music Sustainability Summit (MSS26), Tuesday, April 14,
in Los Angeles.
Presented with the support of the family of Bobby Weir, the awards celebrate those who embody his long-standing commitment to protecting the natural world while strengthening the cultural power of music. From greener touring and sustainable venues to innovative supply chains and fan engagement, the awards will recognize leaders who are helping the music industry reduce its environmental footprint and expand its positive impact.
“Bobby always strived to leave nothing but bare footprints on the Earth. If it was helpful to the planet, animals, or others, it was always a yes for him,” says the Weir family. “He spent decades encouraging the music world to consider its impact on the land, the climate, and future generations. We appreciate the opportunity to support MSA as it recognizes leaders carrying that spirit forward.”
“Bobby Weir has long demonstrated how music can inspire care for the planet, and we’re honored to have the support of the Weir family to recognize the innovators and leaders transforming the music industry and turn that spirit into real environmental progress,” said MSA co-founder and CEO Amy Morrison. “We hope the awards will shine a spotlight on the people across the music ecosystem who are proving that sustainability and creativity can move forward together.”
The awards are named in honor of Bobby Weir, whose decades of environmental advocacy have helped bring sustainability into the mainstream of the music industry. Weir’s commitment to environmental stewardship spans over six decades, dating back to the earliest days of the Grateful Dead. Through benefit concerts, community-driven touring, and participation in events such as the Rainforest Benefit Concert, he consistently encouraged the music world to consider its impact on the environment. His work has included support for organizations such as WhyHunger, HeadCount, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), reflecting a broad commitment to environmental and social responsibility.
Through greener touring initiatives, partnerships such as REVERB, and his longstanding commitment to conservation and land stewardship, Weir has demonstrated how artists can use their influence to drive environmental progress. Additionally, Weir co-founded the Furthur Foundation, channeling decades of advocacy into direct support for environmental protection, regenerative agriculture, and community resilience.His efforts have expanded into broader conversations around sustainability, food systems, and climate responsibility, reflecting a lifelong belief that music can be a powerful force for environmental awareness and collective action. His work reflects a belief that the music community can play a powerful role in addressing climate challenges while inspiring fans to become part of the solution.
Nominations for the awards are being solicited from the MSA community, which includes artists, venues, crews, vendors, labels, promoters, managers, platforms, and others, along with the Weir family and other close-in partners. A distinguished judging committee – including a Weir family representative; Joel Makower, Trellis Group (formerly GreenBiz) Chairman; Rev Lennox Yearwood Jr., President & CEO, Hip Hop Caucus; Kurt Langer, MSA Board Member; and Amy Morrison MSA CEO and co-founder – will select the honorees, to be recognized on stage at MSS26.
Nominees will be evaluated based on the impact, influence, and innovation of their work, as well as commitment to advancing sustainability across the music industry through education, collaboration and measurable action.
For more information, please contact:
Weir PR contact:
Samantha Tillman | Sacks & Co samantha.tillman@sacksco.com
917-488-0807
MSA PR contacts:
Perry Serpa | Vicious Kid Public Relations perry@viciouskidpr.com 917 660-4137
Jennifer Gross | Evolutionary Media Group Jennifer@emgpr.com 323-646-8412